“Israeli” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the strike on Yemen was in order to send a message across the Middle East. 

“The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah, is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear,” Gallant said in a statement.

“The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required.”

The recent “Israeli” strikes on Yemen’s port city of Hodeida will be met with “escalation” – a Houthi official said after the attack. 

"The Zionist entity will pay the price for targeting civilian facilities, and we will meet escalation with escalation," Huthi politburo member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said in a post on social media.