Israel's defense minister acknowledged that the IDF assassinated former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year, and also warned that the military would “decapitate” Yemen's Houthi rebel leadership. .
“We will attack the Houthis harshly and behead their leaders, just like we did against Haniya. [Yahya] With Shinwar [Hassan] Tehran, Gaza, Nasrallah in Lebanon, we will do it in Hodeidah and Sanaa,” Israel Katz said on Monday.
His remarks at a Defense Ministry event marked the first public admission that Israel was behind Haniyeh's murder in the Iranian capital in late July. Israel is widely believed to be behind the explosion, and leaders have previously suggested Israeli involvement. Iran and Hamas had blamed Iran for the death of the Hamas political leader.
“Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off, and the long arm of the Israel Defense Forces will be cut off.” [Israeli military] “We will beat him up and hold him accountable,” Katz said, according to a statement released by the department.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement early Tuesday that sirens were sounded in several areas of central Israel after projectiles were fired from Yemen. It added that the missile was intercepted before it entered Israeli territory. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis have launched numerous missiles and drones at Israel during the war in Gaza, describing the attacks as an act of solidarity with Palestinians there. There is. A missile landed in Tel Aviv on Saturday, injuring at least 16 people.
Israel has carried out three airstrikes in Yemen during the war and has vowed to increase pressure on the rebels until the missile attacks stop.
Haniyeh, who was seen as leading Hamas' efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza, was killed in his Tehran guesthouse on July 31, reportedly weeks earlier by Israeli operatives. He was killed by the explosives he set.
A senior Hamas official at the time described Haniya's killing as a “despicable act that goes unpunished.” Mediators Qatar and Egypt have warned that talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza could be set back.
The day before, Mr Haniya had attended the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
On September 27, Israel killed Nasrallah in a Beirut bombing, followed by Haniya's successor Sinwar in Gaza on October 16. Israeli officials claim that Sinwar masterminded the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Partnership with Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
