THIS is the moment oil tanks in Yemen explode in a massive fireball as Israel bombs Houthi rebels in revenge strikes.
Footage shows the gigantic fireball rip shoot into the sky after IDF jets hit the fuel while it was being stored at a port.
x/sentdefenderThe oil tanks explode in massive fireball[/caption]
x/sentdefenderIsrael hit the tanks in revenge for Houthi rockets launched at them[/caption]
x/sentdefenderThe tankers continue to burn after the fireball[/caption]
EPAThe IDF conducted the strikes using a number of craft including fighter jets[/caption]
The fireball dissipates into black smoke in the sky but a massive blaze continues to burn at the port and secondary strikes erupt.
Four have been reportedly killed and 33 injured, local media said.
The strikes extends Israel’s bombing campaign which has hammered Lebanon over the last two weeks killing thousands.
Terror group Hezbollah’s leadership has been decapitated by the tactic – including the killing of boss Hassan Nasrallah on Friday night.
Following the latest strikes in Yemen, the Israeli force said: “The IDF attacked power plants and a port, which are used to import oil.
“Through the targeted infrastructure and ports, the Houthi regime transfers Iranian weapons to the region, and supplies for military purposes, including oil.”
The IDF said fighter jets, refuel planes, and spy planes took part in the operation that hit the targets 1,800km from Israel.
Israel’s strikes are a retaliation against the militants after they launched rockets at Israel over the past few days.
One of those was targeted at Ben Gurion Airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from New York.
That missile was shot down outside Israel’s borders, the IDF said, and Netanyahu’s plane had landed 35 minutes before sirens sounded.
In a televised speech, Houthi boss Abdul Malik al-Houthi vowed that the death of Nasrallah “will not be in vain.”
The rocket was launched shortly after the Houthis vowed the “resistance won’t be broken” after Israel killed Hezbollah’s leader.
The Houthis also launched another missile at a military target in Tel Aviv and a drone target in Ashkelon.
Yemen’s Houthi terrorists have fired missiles and drones at Israel and disrupted Red Sea shipping for months in support of Hamas.
RexIsrael has hammered Lebanon with airstrikes for weeks[/caption]
On Friday night, Israel blitzed the command bunker of Nasrallah with more than 80 bombs in a last minute operation.
Israeli strikes ripped through the his underground bunker -eliminating the firebrand Secretary-General after a 32-year reign.
The IDF said at least 20 other Hezbollah militants were killed in the strike – including two close associates of Nasrallah.
The killing of the powerful militant group’s longtime leader sent shockwaves throughout Lebanon and the Middle East.
It has left them reeling with no clear leader to steer them through the ensuing conflict on their doorstep.
The strikes took out six buildings in the hear of Beirut – including apartment blocks.
Thousands were forced to flee their homes as the rockets closed in.
A second round of Israeli strikes hit the same area of Beirut later in the night.
Hezbollah also retaliated after they fired rockets on the Israeli city of Safed – but there were no reports of casualties.
Destruction of Hezbollah’s HQ also came just a day after a ceasefire plan appeared to fall through.
Western nations called for a 21-day pause in the fighting to end the 11-month conflict between Israel and the terror group to its north.
A statement said: “The situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8th, 2023 is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.
“This is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon.
“It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety.
“Diplomacy however cannot succeed amid an escalation of this conflict.”
The ceasefire plan also called for a end to fighting between Israel and Hamas.
But Israel on Thursday rejected the ceasefire plan saying they will fight the paramilitary group “until victory”.
Hezbollah ready for ‘bloody fight to the death’ as Israel pave way for Lebanon invasion within HOURS, experts warn
Exclusive by Georgie English, Foreign News Reporter
ISRAELI forces are expected to march across the Lebanon border in a matter of hours as tensions spiral in the Middle East, experts have warned.
Analysts said terror group Hezbollah are ready for a “fight to the death” against Israel should they invade – with Iran ready to pounce and send the region into chaos.
Hezbollah have been decimated from the ground up by Israel – with their top brass being eliminated one-by-one.
The militia’s long-term leader Hassan Nasrallah and several other commanders were wiped out this week, sparking fears of a drastic escalation.
Intelligence expert Anthony Glees told The Sun: “I now expect within hours that the Israeli army is going to march into southern Lebanon in the first instance, and we will see yet a further escalation.
“If Hezbollah won’t hand over their weapons and they won’t then the Israeli Defense Force is going to go in there and take the weapons off them.”
But the historian warned that despite the IDF outnumbering, outgunning and potentially outsmarting Hezbollah a complete offensive will be a tricky task to pull off.
Despite being severely weakened by the rocket strikes Hezbollah are still a scary prospect after decades of training and Iranian funding.
Anthony said: “I don’t think the Israeli Defense force will go into southern Lebanon like a hot knife through butter.
“The Hezbollah fighters are fighters, and the origins of Hezbollah amongst displaced Palestinians mean that these people will fight to the death and kill as many Israelis as they possibly can.
“So I don’t think it will be a simple affair, and of course they will never surrender.”
EPAThe Houthis are an Iranian proxy force in Yemen[/caption]