Psychological warfare? IDF issues evacuation notice for 3 Houthi ports in Yemen but doesn’t strike them

In an unprecedented move during this war, the IDF issued an evacuation notice for three targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen – but didn’t actually strike them.

On Sunday evening, IDF Arabic Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee issued a warning in an Arabic-language post on 𝕏.

“Warning to all those present in the seaports controlled by the terrorist Houthi regime: Ras Isa Port, Hodeidah Port, Al-Salif Port,” he wrote.

“Here is an important and urgent warning: Due to the terrorist Houthi regime's use of seaports for its terrorist activities, we urge all those present at these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your own safety until further notice. Evacuating ports will keep you safe.”

#عاجل تحذير لكل المتواجدين في الموانئ البحرية التي يسيطر عليها النظام الحوثي الإرهابي
⭕️ميناء رأس عيسى
⭕️ميناء الحديدة
⭕️ميناء الصليف

🔴أمامكم تحذير هام وعاجل🔴

نظرًا لقيام النظام الحوثي الإرهابي باستخدام الموانئ البحرية لصالح أنشطته الإرهابية نحث جميع المتواجدين في هذه الموانئ… pic.twitter.com/3ySkzXCYRR

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 11, 2025

The Houthis reportedly followed the warnings and evacuated all the ports. In the following hours, several media outlets reported Israeli strikes, while others denied that strikes had occurred at all.

Confusion reigned as Reuters cited both the Houthi interior ministry, which said that Hodeidah had been attacked, as well as the head of the Houthi-run state news agency Saba, who denied any Israeli attacks.

Later in the evening, Kan News’s military correspondent, Itay Blumental, wrote on 𝕏: “Israel is not attacking Yemen at this stage. It seems that the IDF spokesman's announcement in Arabic is part of a psychological game.”

“An IDF official responds to my inquiry and says that we did not announce that we would attack Yemen ‘in the near future,' but rather announced that we would evacuate three locations ‘until further notice,'” he added.

Monday morning, Blumental updated that the Israeli Air Force had still not struck in Yemen, after the Houthis attempted to launch a ballistic missile at Israel that fell short.

“The missile fell in Saudi Arabia, far from the country's borders. The launch this morning comes hours after the IDF announced an extraordinary evacuation of three ports in Yemen that have not yet been attacked,” he wrote.

The last Houthi attack came on Friday, when a ballistic missile launch triggered alarms across central Israel before being successfully intercepted by Israel's air defenses.

The Houthis have now launched 30 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel since the resumption of fighting in Gaza some two months ago.

Of those, eleven broke apart or fell short either over the Red Sea or in the Saudi Arabian desert, and did not trigger any alarm sirens in Israel.

The Israeli government is reportedly preparing to launch more forceful and wider strikes on the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen in retaliation for repeated missile and drone attacks.

Israel's pledge comes shortly after the United States and the Houthis reached a ceasefire deal.

Last week, a Houthi missile evaded Israel’s multilayered aerial defense system, landing close to Ben-Gurion International Airport in the central part of the country.

The Israeli Air Force responded within 24 hours by striking the Houthi-held Hodeidah port, which plays a crucial role in the transfer of Iranian arms to the Houthis.

The following day, the IAF launched an attack to damage the Houthi-controlled Sanaa Airport, Yemen’s primary air transportation hub.