The Israeli military on Monday launched airstrikes against the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Yemen, saying it was used for the transfer of Iranian weapons used to attack Israel.
Almost twenty Israeli fighter jets engaged in the attack and dozens of targets were pounded, the Israeli military said in a statement on Monday.
"The terrorist infrastructure attacked in the Hodeidah seaport serves as a major source of income for the Houthi regime. The seaport in Hodeidah is used to transfer Iranian weapons, equipment for military needs and other terrorist needs," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added.
The raid was carried out in response to repeated drone and ballistic missile attacks by the Houthi rebels against Israel, it said.
On Saturday the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that hit near Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport. Shortly after, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation.
The Houthis "have been operating for the past year and a half with Iranian guidance and funding to harm Israel and its allies, undermine regional order, and disrupt global freedom of navigation," the Israeli military said, adding it is "determined to continue to act and strike with force anyone who poses a threat to the residents and citizens of Israel, and at whatever distance is required."
Iran has denied involvement in Houthi attacks on Israel and international shipping, and foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei saying Monday that Tehran does not operate through regional proxies.
“The decisions made by the people of Yemen reflect their own will, and all such accusations against Iran are baseless.”
The Israeli airstrikes also targeted a concrete factory east of the city of Hodeidah, which the the Israeli military says "serves as an important economic resource for the Houthi government and is used to build tunnels and military infrastructure."
Israel's Channel 14 reported that the airstrikes were carried out independently, without US participation or assistance. However, Israeli outlet Walla News reported that the attacks were coordinated with the United States.
Galloway traveled to Iran to attend the third edition of the Sobh International Media Festival, organized by the foreign media division of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the country's state media organization.
Organizers awarded him the "Ismail Haniyeh Prize" in recognition of his outspoken defense of Palestine and alignment with Iran-backed resistance groups.
Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, was assassinated by Israel in a bomb blast targeting his residence in Tehran last year.
"No country on the planet has worked harder than the Islamic Republic of Iran to liberate the people of Palestine from bondage, suffering and endless sacrifice. That is simply a fact," said Galloway in his address to the festival.
The former MP, now leader of the Workers Party of Britain, is no stranger to Iranian state media. He previously hosted programs on Iran’s English-language broadcaster Press TV, which is overseen by IRIB and has been sanctioned by Western governments for allegedly spreading propaganda.
Galloway has also appeared on Russian state media and was expelled from the UK Labour Party over remarks it deemed antisemitic.
In his speech, Galloway praised Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a key supporter of the Palestinian people and said Yemen was second only to Iran in providing meaningful support for their struggle.
“I thank the revolutionary people of Iran, your leadership, your heroes, and your martyrs for standing firm in support of the Palestinian people," said Galloway.
Galloway also recounted a personal story about his ties to the Palestinian cause, recalling a humanitarian convoy to Gaza. He said the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh once promised to issue him a Palestinian passport. When none were available, Haniyeh instead gave him his own—a gift Galloway described as “one of my most treasured possessions.”
The Sobh International Media Festival is part of the Iranian government’s broader effort to rally international media voices that support its regional narrative and opposition to Israel.
The event drew dozens of foreign participants, many of whom are affiliated with media outlets sympathetic to Iran’s worldview.
The explosion which has devastated Rajaei port, the country's largest container port, has halted more than half of the country's nominal loading and unloading capacity.
The satellite images reveal that the Sina yard, the blast's epicenter which could hold between 12,000 and 20,000 twenty-foot containers, has been completely destroyed.
The area is operated by the US-sanctioned Sina Marine and Port Services, a subsidiary of the Mostazafan Foundation.
The foundation, a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate also sanctioned by the United States, is controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Some images are partly obscured due to the massive smoke caused by the blast.
1- Sina yard: 15 hectares
Satellite imagery shows that Sina yard, covering around 15 hectares, has been entirely leveled. Shattered containers are clearly visible in the images. The yard lies approximately 800 meters from the exit and gate control and about 1,400 meters from the first dock.
The administrative building of the Sina Marine and Port Services Development Company, located on the northwestern side of the yard, has been completely demolished.
2- Khazar Qeshm Company: 10 hectares
To the east of the Sina yard lies the Khazar Qeshm Company area, covering 10 hectares, which has also been almost completely destroyed. The company’s warehouse roof, about 500 meters from the explosion’s epicenter, has completely collapsed.
3- Rajaei port customs office: 5 hectares
South of the Sina yard are the administrative buildings of Rajaei port. Satellite images show that destruction extends up to 300 meters into the parking area.This zone had been evacuated, and scattered debris is visible.
Images show that the roof of a building 400 meters from the blast center has also collapsed in the administrative area.
4- Onik area: 500 meters from blast
Explosion damage is visible 500 meters north of the Sina yard, in the Onik yard.
5- Hazardous materials zone: 1,300 meters away
According to a map released by Rajaei port, the designated area for storing hazardous materials—marked as zone 5—is about 1,300 meters from the explosion center. No destruction is observed in this hazardous materials zone.
6- Petroleum product storage tanks
The distance from the Sina premises, the site of the explosion, to the petroleum product storage area and tanks marked as No. 6 in the image is only about 1,000 meters. Had the fire spread to this area, the scale of the explosion could have been far more catastrophic.
