Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against Yemen’s Houthi rebels following a missile attack on Tel Aviv that left 16 people injured. The attack, which occurred early on Saturday, marked a significant escalation in tensions between Israel and the Iran-aligned Houthi group, who have repeatedly targeted Israel in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said Israel would target what he referred to as the last remaining arm of Iran’s “axis of evil.” “As we acted with force against the terrorist arms of Iran’s axis of evil, so we will act against the Huthis with force, determination, and sophistication,” Netanyahu vowed.
The missile, which fell in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area, caused injuries and forced many residents to evacuate their homes. The Houthis claimed they hit a “military target” in Jaffa, while Israel had already launched retaliatory strikes on Thursday against ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-controlled Yemen.
The situation escalated further when the US military struck Houthi targets in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Saturday, including a missile storage center and a command-and-control facility. Additionally, US forces shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship missile over the Red Sea.
Amid these developments, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an earlier operation targeting the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, which allegedly resulted in the downing of an F-18 aircraft in an incident of friendly fire.
