The Israeli military has issued evacuation warnings for people in three Yemeni ports, saying it will strike the areas due to military activity on their territory, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Arabic-speaking military spokesman Avichay Adraeh said the ports in Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Salif, as well as the Hodeidah power plant, were targeted.
Residents of Hodeidah said explosions could be heard in the port of the Yemeni city.
The Houthi-controlled Yemeni TV "Al Masira" reported on Monday morning that Israel had carried out a series of strikes on Hodeidah, shortly after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for people in three Yemeni ports.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the Israeli army had attacked Houthi targets in the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa, as well as the Ras Khatib power plant. Katz added that the Israeli military had attacked the ship “Galaxy Leader”, which with Bulgarians on board was captured by Yemeni Houthi rebels in the Red Sea in late November 2023 and, according to the Israeli minister, is currently being used for “terrorist activities” in the Red Sea.
The Israeli military said the attack on the Houthis was carried out in response to repeated attacks on Israel.
The crew of a ship that caught fire after being attacked in the Red Sea abandoned the ship as it began to sink, a British maritime agency and a security firm said, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
According to them, the attack bore the hallmarks of similar attacks carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels.
The attack off the southwestern coast of Yemen is the first such incident reported on this important shipping route since mid-April.
According to maritime security sources, the ship, which they identified as the Liberian-flagged Greek bulk carrier “Magic Seas“ (Magic Seas), sank after being hit by naval drones.
It was initially fired upon with firearms and grenade launchers from eight small boats and the ship's armed guards returned fire, the British Merchant Marine Operations Organization and “Ambri“ said.
“Ambri“ separately reported that the ship was later attacked by four unmanned surface drones.
“Two drones struck the ship's port side and damaged its cargo,“ added “Ambri“. The British Merchant Marine Operations Organization reported that the attack caused a fire on board.
There were no reports of injuries among the crew, a source from the maritime security company “Diaplus“ said.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but in the opinion of “Ambri“ the ship “fits the established profile of Houthi targets“.
The attack was carried out 51 nautical miles southwest of the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen, the British Merchant Marine Operations Organization and “Ambri“ said.
Tensions in the Middle East remain high due to the war in Gaza, as well as after the end of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran and the US air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June, Reuters notes.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in connection with Israel's war with “Hamas“.
During that period, the group has sunk two ships, captured one and killed at least four sailors. Its offensive has disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to change their routes, prompting the US to step up its attacks on the Houthis this year.
In May, President Donald Trump announced that the US would halt bombing Yemen’s Houthis, saying the group had agreed to stop blocking key shipping lanes in the Middle East. The US and the Houthis then agreed not to attack each other, including US ships in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Later in June, the Houthis threatened to resume attacking American ships in the Red Sea if Washington joined Israeli attacks on Iran. They did not specify whether they would carry out their threat after the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities last month.
The Israeli military said it would issue 54,000 draft notices to students at ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminaries after a Supreme Court ruling made their conscription mandatory, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The agency noted that this comes amid growing pressure from reservists who are tired of long missions.
The Supreme Court's ruling last year overturned a decades-old exemption for ultra-Orthodox students - a policy introduced at a time when the ultra-Orthodox community was a much smaller part of the population, while today they make up 13% of it.
Military service is mandatory for most Israeli Jews from the age of 18 and continues from 24 up to 32 months, with additional reserve service required in subsequent years. The majority of Israel's Arab community, which makes up 21% of the population, is exempt from military service, although some are serving.
A statement from the military spokesman confirmed the draft on Tuesday, just as local media reported that the two ultra-Orthodox parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition were trying to reach a legislative compromise.
The issue of exemption from military service has become increasingly contentious as Israel's armed forces have come under pressure in recent years from simultaneous campaigns against "Hamas" in Gaza, "Hezbollah" in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and against Iran.
Ultra-Orthodox leaders in Netanyahu's fragile coalition have expressed concern that the inclusion of seminarians in military units alongside secular Israelis, including women, could threaten their religious identity.
The military statement promised to provide conditions that are compatible with the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle and to develop additional programs to support the integration of these people into the army. It said drafts would be sent out this month.