Houthis warn Israel will 'pay the price' after strikes on Yemeni port

Israeli strikes on Yemen's Hudaida will be met with "escalation", Houthi official has said, warning Israel will "pay the price".

"The Zionist entity will pay the price for targeting civilian facilities, and we will meet escalation with escalation," Houthi politburo member Mohammed al Bukhaiti said in a post on social media on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel struck the Houthis in Yemen to send a message, a day after a drone attack, claimed by the Houthis, hit Tel Aviv.

"The fire that is currently burning in Hudaida, is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear," Gallant said in a statement.

"The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required."

Saturday's strikes, which triggered a raging fire and plumes of black smoke, are the first claimed by Israel in the Arabian peninsula's poorest country, some 1,800 kilometres (1,100 miles) away, analysts said.

Al Masirah TV, citing the Health Ministry, reported several fatalities from the strikes but did not give a toll.