Netanyahu said the attacked port was not an “innocent port” (file)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today issued a stern warning to anyone who “doubts” Israel after Israeli warplanes killed three people in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
The attacks on the key port are the first Israel has claimed responsibility for in the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country and came as a “direct response” to Friday’s drone attack by Iran-backed rebels in Tel Aviv that killed an Israeli civilian.
“I have a simple message to Israel’s enemies: Do not doubt Israel’s determination to defend itself on all fronts. All those who want to harm us will pay a very high price for their aggression,” Netanyahu said in a televised address.
He also said that the port attacked was not an “innocent port.”
“It has been used by them (the Houthis) as an access point for weapons that Iran supplies to its terrorist proxies the Houthis. The Houthis have used these weapons to attack Israel, to attack Arab states in the region, to attack many others,” Netanyahu said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening:
“From the beginning of the war, I made it clear that Israel would take action against anyone who attacked us.
That is why today I asked the Israeli Cabinet to support my decision to launch attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen. pic.twitter.com/xWE3KXQaeV
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 20, 2024
“This attack is a direct response to the killer drone attack that killed one person and injured several others a hundred meters from the US consulate in Tel Aviv. But the Houthis’ aggression goes far beyond this single attack. Over the past eight months, the Houthis have fired hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against Israel,” he said.
Netanyahu also said the only reason these attacks did not result in an even greater loss of life was the defensive measures taken by Israel and its allies, which together intercepted hundreds of missiles.
“But the drone attack that hit Israel on Friday shows that more than defensive measures are needed to contain the Houthis. Offensive measures are also needed. They must ensure that Iran’s terror proxies pay a price for their brazen aggression,” he added.
He thanked the United States, Britain, France and other members of the international naval coalition formed to repel the Houthi attacks.
Israeli jets attack Yemeni rebels in the port of Hodeidah
The Israeli attacks in the port of Hodeida killed three people and injured 87. The attack targeted “fuel depots and a power plant” in Hodeida “to pressure Yemen to stop its support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” said Mohammed Abdulsalam, a senior Houthi official, referring to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Smoke rises from a fire following an Israeli airstrike in Hodeidah, Yemen.
Photo credit: REUTERS
The port of Hodeidah, a key entry point for imports and international aid into rebel-controlled areas of Yemen, has remained largely untouched during the decade-long war between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government backed by neighboring Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis’ Lebanese ally Hezbollah has now warned that the Israeli attacks on Hodeidah marked a dangerous turning point nine months after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.
