Yemen Monitor / Sana’a / Special:
The leader of the Houthis declared in a televised address on Thursday that a response from his group to the Israeli airstrikes is forthcoming. Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Minister threatened to retaliate against any assaults within Yemeni territory.
On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets targeted oil and fuel facilities in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, resulting in the deaths of at least nine civilians and injuring 87 others, just a day after a Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv claimed the life of a man.
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi asserted that “the response is inevitable,” adding that assaults on “Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza will persist and will not be deterred by Israeli air raids.”
Al-Houthi further stated that “every action taken by the Israeli enemy will serve as a greater impetus for retaliation,” as reported by Reuters.
In turn, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz announced on Thursday that Israel is ready to strike Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen once more, when the need arise.
This declaration came during an interview Katz gave to the American news agency Bloomberg, where he added: “Israel possesses an extensive list of potential Houthi targets to be attacked.”
He stated that while Israel is prepared to target Houthi territories in Yemen again if necessary, it would prefer such a conflict to be led by a coalition of ten nations under the leadership of the US.
In response, the US and Britain have been conducting airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi militants since January 11. As a result, the Houthis announced an expansion of their operations to include US and British vessels. Last year, the US had declared the formation of an international coalition to counter Houthi attacks, under the name of the “Prosperity Guardian” coalition.
Since late last year, the Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, recently extending their operations into the Indian Ocean. They claim to be targeting vessels affiliated with Israel, which is waging a brutal attack on the Gaza Strip. However, the Yemeni government and experts sayed that the Houthi objectives are locally motivated, aimed at diverting attention from internal crises and enhancing their image within the region.
