Tel Aviv [Israel], July 2 (ANI): Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, on Wednesday issued a stern warning to the “tail of the snake”–Yemen–hinting military strike against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The minister drew a parallel between Yemen and Iran, suggesting that Israel will deal with both countries in a similar manner.
In a post on X, Katz said, “The fate of Yemen is like the fate of Tehran. After we struck the head of the snake in Tehran, we will also strike the tail of the snake in Yemen. Whoever raises his hand against Israel, his hand will be cut off.”
This comes after Israel intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward the Jewish state on Tuesday night.
Spokesperson for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said the group targeted Ben Gurion airport “using a hypersonic ballistic missile,” reported Al Jazeera.
He added that three other Israeli-occupied areas were targeted using drones.
“The operation successfully achieved its goal, causing millions to flee to shelters and bringing airport operations to a standstill,” he added.
Notably, a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Iran, following a dramatic escalation in regional tensions.
The agreement came hours after Iran launched missile strikes on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq in retaliation for US airstrikes targeting three key Iranian nuclear facilities.
Prior to the US assault, Israel had also carried out coordinated strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military sites, intensifying the standoff with the Islamic Republic.
Following Israel’s strikes on Iran, Yemen’s Houthi rebels sided with the latter. These Iran-aligned rebels said that Tehran had a “legitimate right to defend itself” following Israel’s strikes, as per Al Jazeera.
The Houthis said on Telegram that they backed “Iran’s full and legitimate right to … develop its nuclear programme” and that “we strongly condemn the brutal Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and affirm its full and legitimate right to respond by all possible means”.
The US and Israel strikes were reportedly aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear capabilities and delivering a major setback to Tehran’s atomic ambitions.
Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Israel in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Earlier on June 10, Israel’s military launched overnight strikes on Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, which it claims is used by Houthi rebels to transport weapons, Al Jazeera reported.
The Israeli army and Houthi-controlled media reported the strikes on Hodeidah, a key port for humanitarian aid imports.
An Israeli official said an “aerial and naval blockade” could follow unless Houthi rebels halt attacks on Israel.
The strike hit two piers at the port, according to the Houthi reports. Israel’s military claimed responsibility shortly after, saying it used navy ships to fire missiles at seaports that the Houthis use for “military purposes”, as per Al Jazeera.
Israel accuses the Houthis of using the port to transfer weapons as part of Iran-backed “terrorist activity” and targeted it with air strikes in May. (ANI)
