The Hudaydah Port is a key Yemeni port on the Red Sea coast. It is the second largest port in the country, located in Al Hudaydah, the fourth largest city in Yemen. The port handles up to 80% of the humanitarian supplies, fuel and commercial goods in northern Yemen.[3]
Location
The port is situated in the middle of Yemen's west coast on the Red Sea at 14.8411N, 42.9301E.[4] The port was built between 1958 and 1961 with financial and technical assistance from the USSR.[5]
In 2015 the Houthis took over the port. Since then Saudi-led Coalition and the internationally recognized government of Yemen have repeatedly accused the Houthis of using the port to receive arms from Iran.[6] In June 2018 the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive led by the UAE to retake the port from the Houthis.[3]
On 20 July 2024, the port was damaged following Israeli air strikes which targeted a power generating station, an oil refinery, and fuel storage facilities.[7][8] On 29 September, the IDF air forces attacked the port again following a Houthi rocket attack on Israel.[9] In December of that year, Israel conducted two waves of airstrikes on the port within a week as a response to Houthi attacks targeting population centers in Israel.[10]
