Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, issued a pledge on Tuesday for increased attacks on Israel, conditional upon the continuation of Israel’s operations against Hamas in Gaza.
The Houthi military statement broadcasted on Al-Masirah TV asserted that they are committed to ongoing missile and drone strikes until the “Israeli aggression” ceases.
Recent Houthi Operations and Israel’s Interceptions
The rebels claim to have dispatched “a large batch of ballistic missiles… and a large number of armed aircraft” directed at Israel on that Tuesday. This is marked as their third operation since the onset of the Gaza assault on October 7, triggered by a major attack from Hamas militants. Israel’s defence forces reported an “aircraft intrusion”, setting off alarms in Eilat, a Red Sea resort.
Later, updates from Israel affirmed the interception of a missile aimed at its territory, successfully neutralized by the ‘Arrow’ defence system. They emphasized that all aerial threats were thwarted before entering Israeli airspace.
Houthis in the Axis of Resistance
Prime Minister Abdelaziz bin Habtour of the Houthi administration articulated that the Houthis align with the “axis of resistance” against Israel. This axis encompasses Tehran-supported groups in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. Bin Habtour conveyed that there exists coordination among these groups, and they function under a shared operations room and unified command. The PM stated, “We cannot allow this arrogant Zionist enemy to kill our people.” The Houthis took control of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, back in 2014 and have since dominated vast portions of the country. Israel pointed fingers at the Houthis for a drone assault on a previous Friday, sharing that its forces had halted “hostile targets” directed at southern Israel. On a related note, the US Navy reported on October 19 that they intercepted three missiles and multiple drones launched by the Houthis, potentially targeting Israel.
