The Houthis are a Yemen-based rebel militia group backed by Iran which is currently staring at a full-blown Iran-Israel war that has been brewing for over a year since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.
(File)
Iran-Israel war: In a major worry for Israel, its famed air defense system, included the much-touted Iron Dome and Arrow 3, failed to stop a ballistic missile strike on Tel Aviv, its largest urban area, from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have confirmed that the missile indeed struck Tel Aviv, allegedly striking a playground in the middle of a residential area in the city, injuring at least 16 people.
The missile strike comes barely two days after Israel said it conducted planned airstrikes on Houthi targets and major ports in Yemen on Thursday morning. The operation was aimed to paralyze three ports controlled by the Iran-backed group and cripple their operational capabilities, the IDF had said in an earlier statement, describing the strikes as an “economic blow” to the Houthis.
Less than two days later, the Houthis responded with a ballistic missile strike on Tel Aviv, stating that the successful attack proves that “even the heart of the enemy is no longer safe.” In a statement, Houthi official Hazem al-Assad poked fun at Israel’s famed air defense system, saying that maybe Israel didn’t shoot down the missile because they wanted to save money.
Houthis claimed that Israel has tried to intercept the missile but the attempt failed.
Ready for ‘long war’
Following the successful missile strike, Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman issued a warning to Israel, stating that they are prepared for a “long war” with the Jewish nation and will not stop until Israel halts its brutal military operation in Gaza which has so far killed over 48,000 Palestinians, half of whom are women and children.
“We are ready for a long war with the enemy (Israel). Our operations will not stop until Israel stops its terrorist acts in Gaza,” the Houthi spokesman said in an address aired on Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV channel.
Israel targets Houthi assets
Earlier, Israel launched a wave of attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen, targeting the Iran-backed rebel group’s maritime infrastructure, including tugboats used to guide ships into ports. This comes weeks after a previous strike in September that damaged cranes at the same ports, further impacting Houthi-controlled maritime activities.
According to the IDF, the operation strike launched early Thursday morning, with the first wave of attacks targeting Yemen’s coastal region at 3:15 AM, followed by a second wave at 4:30 AM in the Sanaa area, the first Israel strike on the capital city. Fourteen fighter jets flew over 1,700 kilometres to hit their targets, focusing on the ports of Ras Issa, Hodeidah, and al-Salif. Eight tug boats were destroyed, and strikes extended to fuel and oil tankers, as well as a power plant in Sanaa, they said.
“The IDF precisely attacked Houthi military targets in Yemen, including ports and energy infrastructure, which the Houthis used for their military activity. Israel will not hesitate to act to defend itself and its citizens from Houthi attacks,” IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
The IDF noted that these attacks were planned weeks in advance and were not a direct response to the recent missile launch intercepted by Israel’s Arrow defence system. The missile had been launched after the Air Force jets took off. Tel Aviv residents were forced to take shelter and fragments from the intercepted missile damaged a schoolyard in Ramat Gan. No casualties were reported.
It was the second such attack in three days. On Monday, another missile was intercepted and a Houthi drone was destroyed over the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel-Houthi conflict
The Houthis have launched over 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel since the launch of latter’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip following the October 7, 2023 onslaught by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
In July and September, Israel had conducted airstrikes on Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Al Hodeidah. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned Houthi leaders against retaliating, saying, “Israel’s long hand will reach you as well. Whoever raises a hand against the State of Israel, his hand will be cut off.”
Earlier this month, Houthis vowed to target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea, regardless of its ownership. The rebel group has attacked or harassed around 100 ships, hijacked the MV Galaxy Leader in November 2023 and are holding its crew of 25 as hostage.
From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened ships in the Red Sea as they traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow maritime choke point between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. The majority of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.
Iran-Israel War
The Houthis are a Yemen-based rebel militia group backed by Iran which is currently staring at a full-blown Iran-Israel war that has been brewing for over a year since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.
Earlier this year, on October 26, in its first open strike against Iran, Israel launched a series of pre-dawn airstrikes on the Islamic nation in retaliation for the October 1 missile barrage by the former on the Jewish nation. The ‘precision strikes’ on Iranian military targets, was the first time Israeli military has openly attacked Iran, and despite prior warning about the attack, Tehran suffered some significant losses, including the destruction of Shahroud Space Center- a military spaceport in rural Semnan, which reportedly housed hypersonic missiles and solid fuel.
The Israeli attack also killed four Iranian military personnel, all associated with Iran’s air defense systems.
(With inputs from agencies)