Israeli F-15s Strike Infrastructure in Yemen After Ansuruallah Ballistic Missile Targeted Ben Gurion Airport

The Israeli Air Force has launched a strike on Ansurullah Coalition forces infrastructure in Yemen, deploying its F-15 long range fighters  for a 1800 kilometre sortie with support from aerial refuelling assets. According to the Israel Defence Forces, targets included power plants and a seaport used to import oil. The strike follows a Yemeni ballistic missile launch aimed Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on September 28, which closely coincided with the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjmain Netanyahu in the country, although the Israel Defence Forces claimed to have intercepted this attack. Strikes from Yemen have helped to further stretch Israeli forces between fronts on the Gaza Strip and Southern Lebanon, while retaliatory strikes for the Israeli Air Force to generation additional sorties as its airbases and air defence systems come under sustained attack by Hezbollah. Head of the Ansuruallah Coalition Adul Malik Al Houthi has pledged to “move toward escalation and developing our military performance," in confrontation with Israeli forces, with hostilities expected to intensify after Israeli attacks on Hezbollah’s leadership, and as Israel continues to plan an invasion of Lebanon. 

The Israeli attack on Yemen is not unprecedented, with the Israeli Air Force having on July 20 deployed F-15s for a long range attack on an oil depot in the city of Al Hudaydah in western Yemen, causing over 90 civilian casualties. This was done “in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months,” and occurred a day after Yemeni Ansuruallh Coalition forces launched a successful drone strike on the centre of Tel Aviv, impacting near the American consulate and causing several casualties. Attacks from Yemen have been sustained, with a ballistic missile strike on September 15 confirmed by both sides to have evaded several Israeli interception attempts, and claimed by Yemeni sources to have struck a power station in central Israel.

The United States and United Kingdom have taken primary responsibility for joint Western and Israeli efforts to strike the Ansurullah Coalition’s forces, but have struggled to suppress its fighting strength despite close to a full year of operations and well over a billion dollars in expenditures. Yemeni units have shot down eight American MQ-9 Reaper drones, among other successes in their campaign, and recently launched major ballistic missile attacks on American warships in the region - the success of which is disputed.