The Pentagon said in a statement following the conversation that “Secretary Austin acknowledged Israel's action followed months of Houthi attacks against the State of Israel.”
Austin “reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security and Israel's right to self-defense,” added the statement.
IAF fighter planes on Saturday afternoon struck 12 Houthi military targets near Yemen's Al Hudaydah Port. The IDF thereafter raised the alert levels for the IAF and the Navy.
Arab media reported that Israel conducted a series of strikes against oil refinery facilities, an energy plant, and additional targets near the port.
The IDF stressed that these strikes were conducted as a response to the "hundreds of attacks" against Israel since October 7.
According to Al Mayadeen, F-35s were among the planes used in the attack. Al-Hadath reported that there were at least 10 strikes.
Several hours before the attack, the Cabinet met for a special secret meeting, attended by the Shabbat-observant ministers as well. The ministers received personal invitations from the National Security Council chief, Tzachi Hanegbi, in order to prevent information from being leaked prior to the attack.
The attack in Yemen followed Thursday night’s Houthi drone attack which hit a residential building in Tel Aviv located one block away from the US Embassy Branch Office.
Thursday night’s attack killed Yevgeny Perder, 50. Perder was found in his bed approximately two hours after the incident.
Footage uploaded to social media shows the Iranian-made Samad-3 drone flying over the beach and the first line of buildings, including the US Embassy Tel Aviv branch office, and exploding slightly further inland.
The Samad-3 is a kamikaze drone which according to the Arab press can fly a distance of 1,500 to 1,700 km. The drone has "advanced technologies," which makes it less detectable. Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
