Israel Launches Airstrikes on Houthi Targets in Yemen Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
On Thursday, Israel conducted a series of airstrikes targeting the western coast and inland areas of Yemen, specifically aimed at sites like the Sanaa airport. This military action was in response to ballistic missile and drone launches into Israeli territory attributed to the Houthi rebels. The Israeli Air Force executed intelligence-based strikes on various military infrastructures utilized by the Houthis, including power plants in Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib, as well as positions in the ports of Hodeida, Salif, and Ras Kanatib.
According to a military statement, these operations were greenlighted by Israel's Chief of Staff, the Minister of Defense, and the Prime Minister. Approximately an hour after the initial reports of the strikes surfaced, the army formally announced the attacks targeted what they referred to as the "terrorist Houthi regime."
Israel contends that the targeted sites were being used by the Houthis for the smuggling of Iranian weapons into the region and served as an entry point for high-ranking Iranian officials. The Israeli armed forces criticized the Houthis for allegedly exploiting civilian infrastructure for military purposes, drawing a parallel to similar justifications used in their operations in Gaza or Lebanon, which sometimes result in civilian casualties.
The Israeli Army accused the Yemeni group of acting as agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran, claiming they had received Iranian funding and were involved in destabilizing maritime security by attacking international vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the Bab al-Mandab strait. They issued a warning asserting that the armed forces would act against any threats posed to Israel and its citizens regardless of the distance.
The Israeli strikes were framed as a direct response to previous Houthi attacks on the nation, which included drone and missile assaults. Just a day before the airstrikes, a Houthi drone had fallen in an uninhabited region within Israeli territory, causing no injuries, while Israel's air defense systems successfully intercepted a missile aimed at the central part of the country.
In a speech delivered at night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to the Houthi group, asserting that they would learn the same hard lessons faced by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other adversaries in the region. He indicated that understanding these lessons would take time and suggested that it would reverberate throughout the Middle East.
In December, a missile launched by Yemeni rebels struck a children's park within a populated area in Tel Aviv, highlighting the escalating threat posed by the Houthis. Following such attacks, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar directed Israel's diplomatic missions in Europe to push for the designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organization. The United States had recently reinstated the designation of the group as a terrorist organization, a designation that had been reversed during President Joe Biden's administration after being initially put in place by former President Donald Trump.
The Houthi rebels began their rocket launches against Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has persisted for more than fourteen months. They regularly document their missile attacks as acts of support for the Palestinian cause, further complicating the already tense security situation in the region.
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