On January 10, Israeli forces attacked a power station and two ports in Yemen, reportedly killing at least one person and wounding nine others. Israeli authorities say the attacks came in response to continued Houthi attacks against Israel.
In the attacks, Israeli forces targeted Ras Issa and Hodeidah ports as well as Hezyaz power station in Sanaa, which are all located within areas under Houthi control. Israeli defense minister Isreal Katz stated, “The Hodeidah port is paralyzed, and the Ras Isa port is on fire – there will be no immunity for anyone.”
The Israeli military said it had struck military targets. The Hodeidah and Ras Issa ports, however, are critical for delivering food and other necessities to the Yemeni population, who depend on imports. About 70 percent of Yemen’s commercial imports and 80 percent of its humanitarian assistance passes through Hodeidah, Ras Issa, and Salif ports, which United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Auke Lootsma said are “absolutely crucial to commercial and humanitarian activities.” Rosemary DiCarlo, under-secretary-general for the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, described the ports as a “lifeline for millions of people” that should be “open and operating.”
The Hezyaz power station is the central power station of Sanaa, providing electricity to the city’s population. After the attack, power across the city was cut for one to two days, and has been cutting in and out since according to three people who spoke to Human Rights Watch.
Deliberate attacks on objects indispensable to survival are war crimes.
This is not the first time Israeli forces have attacked critical infrastructure in Yemen. Since July 2024, Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked the Hodeidah, Ras Issa, and al-Salif ports and power plants in the country. At least six civilians were killed and at least 80 others injured in the July 20 attack on Hodeidah port alone. Human Rights Watch found that this attack likely amounted to a war crime. In December, Israeli forces attacked Sanaa airport, killing at least four people and injuring at least 18 others, according to the Houthis’ Ministry of Health, including a crew member aboard a UN flight.
The Houthis’ drone strikes and missile attacks on Israel, if deliberately or indiscriminately attacking civilians or civilian objects, may also amount to war crimes.
Israeli authorities and the Houthis should immediately end all unlawful attacks, including those that target civilians and civilian infrastructure. The international community should condemn all unlawful attacks and place pressure on warring parties to abide by the laws of armed conflict and principles of civilian protection.