by Lloyd's List
14 July 2025 (Lloyd's List) - THE Houthi-held ports of Hodeidah and Saleef appear to have suffered considerable damage from Israel’s latest aerial bombardment on July 6, which was one of its heaviest raids since first attacking the Yemeni militants almost a year ago.
Satellite imagery shows portions of the piers in Hodeidah appear to have been ripped off, and similar damage to docks in Saleef port is also apparent.
As of July 13, no vessels had entered or departed from the two ports since the July 6 attack, vessel-tracking data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence and satellite imagery from Planet Labs and the European Space Agency showed.
Both Red Sea ports were damaged in previous Israeli strikes, including in May, after which inbound-and-outbound commercial traffic ceased for six days in Hodeidah and over two weeks in Saleef.
Israel has accused the Houthis of using the ports as gateways through which they import arms and components used to attack Israel and shipping in the Red Sea.
“Israeli Air Force jets, guided by intelligence, struck Houthi terror targets at the ports of Al Hudaydah, Ras Isa, Saleef, and the Ras Kanatib Power Plant,” the Israel Defence Force said on social media platform X.
“The strikes targeted sites used to transfer Iranian weapons and attack Israeli civilians with unmanned aerial vehicles & missiles.”
The port of Hodeidah is the Houthis’ main gateway for dry bulk and containerised cargo, while Ras Isa is the primary fuel hub.
Ras Isa and its few storage tanks were heavily damaged in US airstrikes in mid-April, but the port has resumed operations since, with its rudimentary infrastructure allowing for a relatively quick recovery.
Israel’s strikes on July 6 also targeted Ras Isa, including the car carrier Galaxy Leader (IMO: 9237307), which the Houthis hijacked in November 2023, marking the beginning of their campaign against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The IDF released footage of the strike on the vessel, which it said was “fitted with a radar system to track international vessels for terror operations”.
Satellite imagery shows the beleaguered car carrier blackened in the aftermath of the attack.
Israel’s attack on July 6 came hours after the Houthis attacked the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas (IMO: 9736169), leading its crew to abandon the vessel, which ultimately sunk. The ship’s crew and armed security team were all rescued.
The following day, the Houthis launched a deadly attack on another Liberia-flagged bulker, Eternity C. (IMO: 9588249), which sunk around 0750 hrs local time after two days of repeated Houthi attacks.
Eternity C had a crew of 22, and a three-man armed security team.
Of those, eight Filipino crew and two of the AST, one Indian and one Greek, were recovered from the water. A further six Filipino crew were reportedly rescued and taken hostage by Houthi forces.
Seven Filipino crew, one Russian crew member, and an Indian member of the AST are confirmed or presumed dead.
