Israel vows to reach Houthi leaders
TEL AVIV
Israel said Thursday it struck ports and energy infrastructure used by Houthi rebels in Yemen after intercepting a missile fired from the country, warning Houthi leaders it "will reach you too."
Houthi media said the strikes hit power stations, oil facilities and the port of Al Hudaydah, causing deaths and injuries, without giving further details.
The strikes came after the interception of a missile fired by Houthi rebels towards Israel. The group has regularly targeted Israel over its military operation in Gaza.
Israel's military said it "conducted precise strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen — including ports and energy infrastructure in Sanaa, which the Houthis have been using in ways that effectively contributed to their military actions."
"I warn the leaders of the Houthi terrorist organization: Israel's long arm will reach you too," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said. "Whoever raises a hand against the state of Israel, his hand will be cut off; whoever harms, will be harmed sevenfold."
Al-Masira, a media channel belonging to the Houthis, said a series of "aggressive raids" were launched in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah.
It reported raids that "targeted two central power plants" in and around Yemen's capital Sanaa, while in Hodeidah it said "the enemy launched four aggressive raids targeting the port... and two raids targeting" an oil facility.
It said there were casualties at the oil facility without giving further details.
Iran condemned the strikes, describing it as a "flagrant violation” of international norms.
The strikes came after Israel's military intercepted a missile from Yemen for the second time this week.
On Monday, the Houthis claimed a missile launch they said was aimed at "a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied area of Yaffa" — a reference to Israel's Tel Aviv area.
Also Monday, an Israeli navy missile boat intercepted a drone in the Mediterranean after it was launched from Yemen, the military said.
The Houthi rebels have said they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and pledged Monday to continue operations "until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted."
On Dec. 9, a drone claimed by Houthis exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israel city of Yavne, causing no casualties.
In July, a Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
The Houthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets by United States and sometimes British forces.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the group had become a "global threat," pointing to Iran's support for the rebels.
"We will continue to act against anyone, anyone in the Middle East, that threatens the state of Israel," he said.
Meanwhile, Israel was accused of war crimes and genocide in two separate reports.
Human Rights Watch accused Tel Aviv of committing "acts of genocide" in Gaza by damaging water infrastructure and cutting off supplies to civilians, which Israel dismissed as "appalling lies.”
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) also said that Israel is committing "ethnic cleansing" in Palestinian strip in a report documenting 41 attacks on MSF staff, including air strikes on health facilities and direct fire on humanitarian convoys.
