Israeli jets bomb Houthi targets in Yemen, military says – The Irish Times

The Israeli army said it had attacked several Houthi targets in western Yemen following the rebel group’s deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv on Friday.

The Israeli army said several “military targets” were hit on Saturday in the western port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold. The attack was “a response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the port had been used by the Houthi militia as a gateway for Iranian weapons. He said the attacks, which take place about 1,800 km from Israel’s borders, were a reminder to enemies that there is no place Israel cannot reach.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the attacks were intended as a message to the Houthis. “The fire currently burning in Hodeidah can be seen throughout the Middle East and its significance is clear,” Gallant said in a statement. “The Houthis have attacked us over 200 times. The first time they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do so anywhere it may be required.”

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam wrote on the social media platform X that Yemen was the target of “blatant Israeli aggression” directed against fuel storage facilities and the province’s power plant.

He said the aim of the attacks was to “increase people’s suffering and put pressure on Yemen to stop its support for Gaza.”

He said the attacks would only strengthen the determination of the Yemeni people and its forces to support Gaza.

In the drone attack by the Houthi rebels on Friday, one person was killed in the center of Tel Aviv and at least ten others were injured near the US embassy.

Since January, US and British forces have been attacking targets in Yemen in response to Houthis’ attacks on merchant ships, which the rebels say are retaliation for Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. However, many of the ships attacked have no connection to Israel.

The joint air strikes have so far had little deterrent effect on the Iranian-backed troops.

Meanwhile, Palestinians have welcomed Friday’s landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories violates international law. The US State Department criticized the decision on Saturday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the UN court’s decision “historic” and said Israel must be forced to implement it, while Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki spoke of a “turning point”.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister also welcomed the ICJ’s decision. “It is a clear ruling in favor of the Palestinian people’s right to justice, freedom and statehood,” said Ayman Safadi in an article on X.

In a comprehensive and condemnatory opinion on Friday, the UN court called on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories “as soon as possible” and to make full reparations for its “acts contrary to international law”. It said the occupation violates international law.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres will soon submit the report to the 193-member world body, and “it is up to the General Assembly to decide how to proceed in the matter,” said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

The ICJ stated in its opinion that Israel must pay compensation to the Palestinians for the damage caused by the occupation. It also concluded that the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and all states are obliged not to recognize the occupation as legal and not to support or assist in its maintenance.

Although the court’s findings are not binding, they have weight under international law.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the court’s opinion as “fundamentally wrong” and one-sided and reiterated its position that a political solution in the region could only be achieved through negotiations.

“The Jewish nation cannot be an occupier in its own land,” said a statement from Netanyahu’s office.

The US criticized the scope of the court’s decision. Washington said it would complicate efforts to resolve the conflict.

“We have made it clear that Israel’s government support program for settlements is inconsistent with international law and hinders the cause of peace,” a U.S. State Department spokesman said in an email on Saturday.

“We are concerned, however, that the breadth of the court’s opinion will complicate efforts to resolve the conflict,” the State Department added.

The US State Department said the ICJ’s view that Israel must withdraw from the Palestinian territories as soon as possible was “inconsistent with the established framework” for resolving the conflict.

Washington said this framework takes into account Israel’s security needs, which were highlighted by the attacks on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas on October 7. According to Israeli sources, 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage in these attacks.

Elsewhere, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was in sight.

On Friday, he told the Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado: “I believe we have reached the 10-yard line and are moving toward the finish line. We want to reach an agreement that will lead to a ceasefire, bring the hostages home and put us on the path to building lasting peace and stability.”

“There are still some questions that need to be clarified and negotiated. That is exactly what we are doing right now.”

The United States is working with Qatar and Egypt to broker a ceasefire and free hostages held since the October 7 Hamas attacks, as well as to get more humanitarian aid to the enclave devastated by Israeli airstrikes.

Mr Netanyahu will travel to Washington next week and address a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday. He is expected to meet Joe Biden if the US president has recovered from Covid-19 by then, the White House said.

While ceasefire talks continue in Cairo, at least 13 people have been killed in three Israeli air strikes on refugee camps in central Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials.

Among the dead in the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps were three children and a woman, according to Palestinian rescue teams who transported the bodies to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital.

The 13 bodies were counted by AP journalists at the hospital. – Agencies