A series of Israeli strikes on Yemen’s Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah have left mass destruction in the country, reports coming out of the unrecognised administration reported on July 20.

The attack on the Hodeidah oil terminal saw plumes of smoke and flames, while residents of the city reported large explosions coming from the port area following the Israeli airstrike on the town.

The strikes come a day after the unrecognised Yemeni regime struck the country with an Iranian-designed drone close to the US embassy in central Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring several more.

The July 20 strike is the first such attack by Israel on the Arabian peninsula in its history and part of a widening of aggression in the region following months of battles between groups aligned with Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” in support of Hamas in Gaza.

More than 40,000 people in Gaza have been reportedly killed since Hamas operatives as well as fighters from another group, Islamic Jihad, broke through Israeli defences to attack and kill 1,300 Israelis, Palestinians and other nationalities in a rampage.

The Israeli military said in a statement on July 20: "A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months."

Israel’s Defence Ministry later confirmed that the “fire burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East.”

A senior Houthi official said following the strike that Israel's attacks on Yemen's port city of Hodeidah will not deter the group from supporting Palestinians in Gaza.

Mohammed Abdulsalam, spokesman for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, said the Israeli airstrikes on fuel depots and power stations in Hodeidah were aimed at putting pressure on Yemen to cease its support for Gaza.

"This dream will not be realised, God willing," Abdulsalam said. He added that such attacks would only strengthen the Yemeni people's resolve to support Gaza, IUS News reported.

The comments came hours after reports emerged of Israeli F-35 fighter jets striking targets in Yemen.

Abdulsalam characterised the Israeli action as a "brutal attack" intended to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. He insisted that Yemen would continue to stand with Palestinians despite any difficulties.

The Houthi, who control much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, have launched multiple attacks on Israel since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

The conflict has raised concerns about a wider regional war, with Iran-aligned groups in Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq carrying out attacks in support of Hamas.