The Israeli Navy Strikes Yemen From the Sea

naval power is a comparative advantage, regardless of your nation's size

In another demonstration of the flexibility of naval forces when it comes to striking hostile targets at far distances with surprise and relatively little risk to your forces, the Israeli Navy’s small but spunky surface force has made its appearance in the Red Sea.

Not content to let the Israeli Air Force deliver all the punches, the Israeli Navy wants everyone to know; they can get in the power projection game too:

Israel’s navy attacked docks in Yemen’s rebel-held port city of Hodeida on Tuesday, launching its first seaborne assault against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels while warning more could come.

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The Israeli military said missile boats carried out the attack. It marked a departure for Israel, which previously relied on airstrikes to target the Houthis. Hodeida is over 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) south of Israel’s southern tip, requiring the Israeli military to use aerial refueling to conduct those strikes.

Israel’s navy, with over 9,000 sailors, has been mainly deployed in the Mediterranean Sea since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel began the war.

“The strikes were carried out to stop the use of the port for military purposes,” the Israeli military said, without offering a damage assessment from the attack. “The port is used to transfer weapons and is a further example of the Houthi terrorist regime’s cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure in order to advance terrorist activities.”

Some reports are saying that Israel used its Saar 6 class warships. Good bit of kit for only 1,900 tons displacement.

Armament

• 1 × Oto Melara 76 mm main gun

• 2 × Typhoon Weapon Stations

• 32 vertical launch cells for Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles

• 40 vertical launch cells for C-Dome point defense system

• 16 Gabriel V anti-ship missile

• Harpoon (missile) Block II sea-to-sea missiles

• 2 × 324 mm (12.76 in) torpedo launchers

• 1 MH-60 Seahawk multi-mission helicopter