Yemen’s Houthi group said Sunday it fired multiple ballistic missiles toward Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, warning Israel of a long battle after the Hodeida attack.

Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier Yahya Saree said in a statement that the group has also targeted the American ship "Pumba" in the Red Sea.

"The response to the Israeli aggression against our country is inevitable and will be big and great," Saree said.

The group also affirmed its "full right to defend Yemen against Israeli and American-British aggression."

Earlier this morning, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen towards the Red Sea resort town of Eilat after Israel bombed Hodeida port held by the country's Houthis.

"The projectile did not cross into Israeli territory. Rocket and missile sirens were sounded following the possibility of falling shrapnel," a military statement said, two days after a Houthi drone strike killed one person in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, the Houthi-run Saba news agency announced on Sunday that the Israeli strikes on Hodeida have killed three people and wounded more than 80.

"The toll of victims of the Israeli attack on Hodeida has risen to three martyrs and 87 wounded," the agency reported, citing the health ministry.

The strikes on the vital port on Saturday, which triggered a raging fire and plumes of black smoke, are the first claimed by Israel in Yemen.

"The blood of Israeli citizens has a price," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, adding that more operations against the Houthis would follow "if they dare to attack us."

"The fire that is currently burning in Hodeida is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear," he said.

"Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned after Friday's drone attack in Tel Aviv.

On the other hand, Houthi politburo member Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti swiftly threatened in a social media post to "meet escalation with escalation."

In a statement on social media, top Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam reported a "brutal Israeli aggression against Yemen."

The attack targeted "fuel storage facilities and a power plant" in Hodeida "to pressure Yemen to stop supporting" Palestinians in the Gaza war, he said.

An AFP correspondent in Hodeida reported hearing several large explosions and seeing smoke over the port.

Footage aired by the rebels' Al-Masirah television, which AFP could not independently verify, showed casualties being treated in hospital, with many of them bandaged and lying on stretchers in packed rooms.

In a statement published by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, the oil ministry sought to reassure Yemenis that there are "large and sufficient amounts of oil reserves." 

Maritime security firm Ambrey said it observed four merchant vessels in the port at the time of the air strike and another eight in the anchorage.

"No damage to merchant vessels has been reported at this time," it added.

Yemen aid lifeline fears
 
The United States, which along with Britain has carried out several rounds of air strikes against the Houthis in an attempt to put an end to their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, said it played no part in Saturday's strikes.

"The United States was not involved in today's strikes in Yemen, and we did not coordinate or assist Israel with the strikes," a US National Security Council spokesman said.

Separately, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday it "successfully destroyed" a Houthi drone during the past 24 hours over the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia distanced itself from the Yemen strikes, with a defence ministry spokesman saying Riyadh had "no links to or involvement in targeting Hodeida."

"The kingdom will not allow its airspace to be infiltrated by any party," said Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki.

Hodeida port, a vital entry point for imports and international aid for rebel-held areas of Yemen, had remained largely untouched through the decade-long war between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government propped up by neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis control swathes of Yemen, including much of its Red Sea coast, and the war has left millions of Yemenis dependent on aid supplied through the port.

UN chief Antonio Guterres had appealed for "maximum restraint" after the Tel Aviv drone strike to avoid "further escalation in the region."

In Lebanon, Hezbollah warned that the Israeli strikes on Hodeida marked a dangerous turn nine months into the Gaza war.

"The foolish step taken by the Zionist enemy heralds a new, dangerous phase," said the group, which has exchanged nearly daily fire with the Israeli army throughout the war.