The spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Mohammed Abdulsalam, said his country will continue to defend itself after several US strikes targeting areas in the capital Sanaa.
“The US attack on Yemen is a clear violation of the sovereignty of a sovereign state, and an open support for Israel to encourage it to continue its crimes of extermination against the people of Gaza,” Abdulsalam said on Tuesday, after the strikes carried out by the Israelis. US is the second day.
The US military said it carried out attacks on targets in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, and coastal areas in Yemen on Monday and Tuesday.
“On the 30th and 31st of December, US Navy ships and aircraft targeted Houthi command and control areas as well as production and storage facilities for conventional weapons (ACW) including missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV),” the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said to X.
CENTCOM Forces Attack Multiple Houthi Targets in Yemen
US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted multiple precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets in Sana’a and coastal areas within Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, December 30 and 31.
On December 30 and 31,… pic.twitter.com/XUKtsZM1U7
– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2024
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported that 12 airstrikes were launched by US military aircraft, targeting two different districts in Sanaa.
An Iran-aligned group in Yemen has begun attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year in an apparent attempt to enforce Israel’s shipping blockade, saying they are acting in coordination with Palestinians who are being attacked as part of Israel’s year. deadly war in Gaza.
Last week, a wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s main airport, killing at least three people. Separate attacks on the main port city of Hodeidah killed three more people.
The attack on Sanaa airport happened when the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he was about to board a flight there.
The Houthis have pledged to respond quickly to the attack and meet with a “massive escalation”.
The Houthis took control of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, and have been fighting forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition, including the Yemeni government, for years.
‘Support for Gaza continues’
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, on Monday issued what he called a final warning to the Houthis to stop attacking Israel.
Danon also warned Tehran that Israel has the ability to strike any target in the Middle East, including Iran. He added that Israel will not tolerate attacks by Iran’s proxies.
But hours later, the Israeli military announced that it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, triggering alarm bells across the country.
The Houthis targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and a power station south of Jerusalem using a hypersonic ballistic missile and a Zulfiqar missile, respectively, the group’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Tuesday.
The Houthis will not stop attacking Israel, said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthis’ executive committee, after the Israeli military announced that the missiles would be intercepted.
“It’s a powerful blow to the organization [Israel] continues and support for Gaza continues,” he wrote on X.
Danon, when speaking to the UN Security Council, said that Israel will not tolerate another Houthi attack.
“Houthis, maybe you didn’t pay attention to what happened in the Middle East last year,” he said.
“Well, let me remind you what happened to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to Assad, to all those who are trying to destroy us. Let this be your last warning. This is not a threat. It is a promise. You too will face the same painful fate,” said Danon.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Houthis that Israel was “just getting started” following strikes in Yemen, including the Sanaa airport, the country’s west coast ports and two power plants.
Israel’s ongoing assault on the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip, where hunger is looming, has so far killed more than 45,000 people and has been described as genocide by leading rights groups.
