Israeli F-15I Ra'am strike fighters were reported in Israel's first Yemen strike during the Red Sea crisis, the July 2024 Operation Outstretched Arm attack on Houthi-linked infrastructure at Hodeidah.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| F-15I Ra'am aircraft were reported as leading Israel's first Yemen strike during the Red Sea crisis. | |
| Operation Outstretched Arm was an Israeli Air Force fighter-jet strike in Yemen after a deadly Houthi UAV attack from Yemen into Israel. | Sources: IDF Operation Outstretched Arm |
| The July 2024 Hodeidah strike package included F-15 fighters alongside F-16, F-35, reconnaissance, and refueling aircraft. |
Timeline
Times of Israel reported that the Hodeidah strike followed a deadly Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv; the IDF later said the drone was launched from Yemen.
Sources: Times of Israel Hodeidah Strike Footage, IDF Operation Outstretched Arm
Israeli Air Force aircraft struck Houthi-controlled port, fuel, and energy infrastructure at Hodeidah in Operation Outstretched Arm.
Sources: Times of Israel Hodeidah Strike Footage, IDF Operation Outstretched Arm
The Jerusalem Post reported that Baz and F-15I Ra'am aircraft led Israel's first strike in Yemen in July 2024.
The F-15I Ra'am is documented in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis through Israeli reporting on Operation Outstretched Arm, the July 2024 Israeli airstrike on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Jerusalem Post, citing an IDF profile of the F-15 force, reported that Baz and F-15I Ra'am aircraft led Israel's first strike in Yemen in July 2024.
The same operation is independently documented by the IDF as an Israeli Air Force fighter-jet strike in Yemen after a Houthi explosive UAV from Yemen hit Israeli territory, killing one civilian and injuring others. Times of Israel reporting on the IDF footage described a strike group that included F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, and refueling planes.
Sources: Jerusalem Post Baz and Ra'am Operations, IDF Operation Outstretched Arm, Times of Israel Hodeidah Strike Footage
Operation Outstretched Arm followed a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv. Times of Israel reported that the Israeli Air Force released footage of the July 20, 2024 strike on the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, showing fighter-jet-launched weapons hitting container cranes and describing additional targets at fuel depots and energy infrastructure.
The operation was long range by Israeli Air Force standards. Times of Israel placed the targets about 1,800 kilometers from Israel and said refueling aircraft joined the strike package because of that distance. The IDF release presented the mission as an IAF fighter jet's first strike in Yemen and included footage of aerial refueling and aircraft returning from the operation.
Sources: Times of Israel Hodeidah Strike Footage, IDF Operation Outstretched Arm
Within the Red Sea crisis, the Ra'am appears as an Israeli long-range strike and interdiction aircraft rather than as a maritime escort or air-defense system. The documented use was a cross-theater strike against Houthi-linked port, fuel, and energy infrastructure after Houthi missile, drone, and maritime attacks had expanded from the Red Sea shipping lane toward Israel.
Public sources do not assign individual target sets or munition types specifically to the F-15I within the mixed Israeli strike package. The available record supports F-15I participation in the Yemen strike package and the broader role of Israeli fighter aircraft in the Hodeidah attack, but not a more precise claim about which Ra'am aircraft struck which target.
Sources: Jerusalem Post Baz and Ra'am Operations, Times of Israel Hodeidah Strike Footage
