Israel Says It Will Target Houthi Leaders, as with Hamas, Hezbollah

Israel this week targeted leaders of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as leaders of Yemen's Houthi rebels, to stop Iranian-backed groups from firing missiles at Israel. announced that they would start targeting them as well.

The warning comes even after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck Houthi targets in the port city of Hodeidah and capital Sana'a to deter future launches, after the Houthis launched several missiles into Israel this week. issued later.

One missile was intercepted by Israel's Arrow missile defense system on Monday, but the other missile evaded the interceptor and crashed into a Tel Aviv playground early Saturday. There were no children at that time.

era of israel reported Tuesday:

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would begin targeting leaders of Yemen's Houthi rebel group and vowed to not allow missile and drone fire on Israel to continue unchecked.

The firing on Houthi leaders marks an escalation by Israel, which has responded to repeated launches of drones and ballistic missiles from Yemen, targeting port infrastructure and military positions in several sorties. It seems. The missile launched early Tuesday morning was shot down, but sirens caused widespread panic in the Tel Aviv area and one woman was seriously injured as a hasty evacuation took place.

“The same way we dealt with Sinwar in Gaza, Haniyeh in Tehran, and Nasrallah in Beirut, we will deal with the Houthi leadership in Sanaa and elsewhere in Yemen,” Katz said. he said, referring to the leader of Hezbollah.

More than 2,000 kilometers from Israel, Yemen has no common border with the Jewish state and no grievances against it. However, since Hamas launched terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7 last year, it has launched dozens of missiles and drones into Israel with Iranian support. Hamas remains the last of the major Iranian proxy forces capable of attacking Israel. It also attacked international shipping in the Red Sea, through which 15% of the world's maritime trade passes.

Then-President Donald Trump designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization in 2021. President Joe Biden rescinded that designation almost immediately after taking office a few weeks later.