Host - After air raid in Yemen: Iran warnings Israel for a regional war
After an Israeli air raid in Yemen in response to a deadly drone attack by the pro-Iranian Huthi Militia in Tel Aviv, concerns are growing over a potential wildfire. The Iran and Israel exchanged warnings. Israel's "dangerous adventurism" could trigger a regional war, said the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, according to the state news agency Irna. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of a defense campaign against Iran's "terror axis".
"It's time now for the international community to maximize sanctions against Iran," demanded Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on platform X. The Iran supports, trains, and finances the Huthi as "part of its regional network of terrorist organizations that seek to attack Israel," Israel and its allies like the USA were warned for "unpredictable and dangerous consequences" of the Gaza War and attacks on Yemen.
Early in the morning, Israel's missile defense intercepted a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen, according to military reports. Previously, a rocket alarm had been triggered in the vicinity of the southern Israeli port city of Eilat. The projectile did not enter Israeli territory. Reports of casualties were not available.
Guterres concerned about escalation
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed "deep concern over the risk of further escalation in the region". He called for "utmost restraint". Israel's military had previously reported, according to its own reports, that it had attacked military targets of the Huthi Militia in the Hudaydah port. According to a Huthi-affiliated TV station Al-Masirah in the night, there were at least three dead and 87 injured.
Images showed massive fires. Huthi spokespersons confirmed an Israeli attack on "civilian institutions" in Yemen. The targets were oil and power plants. "From the beginning of the war, I have clearly stated that Israel will act against all those who attack us," said Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. On Friday, a man was killed and at least eight others were injured by the impact of a drone coming from Yemen in the center of Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu threatens Iran: We reach enemies everywhere
The raid in Yemen "makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place where the long arm of Israel will not reach," said Netanyahu. It was the response "to hundreds of attacks of the past months against Israel," explained the Israeli army. Weapons from Iran had entered the country via the Hudaydah port, said Netanyahu. Like Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, the Huthi Militia in Yemen is an integral part of Iran's "Axis of Evil".
Since the start of the Gaza War against Hamas' terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2008, the conflict between Israel and Iran has dramatically escalated. Israel feels threatened by attacks from militias linked to Iran on multiple fronts. Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Israel and the USA have been considered arch-enemies of the country. Netanyahu called Iran the "most important enemy" in the past.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Joav Galant about Israel's response to the Huthi militia's drone attack in Tel Aviv, according to a Pentagon spokesperson who announced it in the night. Israel's retaliation was in response to months of attacks by the Huthi against the state of Israel. Austin reaffirmed "the unwavering commitment of the United States to Israel's security and its right to self-defense".
Again Demonstrations in Israel against Netanyahu
Meanwhile, thousands of people protested in Israel again against the Netanyahu government and for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza War to release the hostages. Before Netanyahu's departure for the US, demonstrators in Jerusalem held up signs with the inscription "No Flight Without an Agreement", as reported by "Times of Israel" in the evening. On Wednesday, Israel's Prime Minister is scheduled to give a speech to both houses of the US Congress about Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip.
At one of the weekly demonstrations, a participant whose own grandson was kidnapped by Hamas and other groups in Gaza on October 7 and was recently declared dead by the military according to the newspaper, said: "Only the end of the war will bring the hostages home". The end of the war would "also mean the end of the government" he added. "So everyone can understand why this war is still going on and why there is still no hostage exchange agreement".
For months, indirect talks have been taking place between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US. They revolve around a three-tiered plan that involves the exchange of the approximately 120 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, as well as paths to a permanent ceasefire. Participants in the indirect talks have recently shown cautious optimism. However, no high-level meetings have been announced recently.
Huthi: Preparing for a long war with Israel
The military spokesperson for the Huthi militia in Yemen, Jahja Sari, said under the circumstances that they were preparing for a "long war" with Israel. The militia has been seizing cargo ships in the region for months that it claims have ties to Israel. It acts in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza War and has also targeted Israel. Most projectiles were intercepted. The Iranian army finances, arms, and guides the terrorist activities of the Huthi, said the Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
The drone targeted at Tel Aviv by the militia was loaded with explosives and crashed into a residential building in the center of the Israeli coastal metropolis on Friday. In response, Galant threatened retaliation. The air force attacked targets in the Yemeni port of Hudaida that were also used for terrorist activities, according to Hagari. Israel carried out the air raid alone and did not involve allies such as the US.
A civil war has been raging in Yemen for years. In addition, there is a severe humanitarian crisis in which about 80 percent of the population is dependent on some form of aid. According to UN estimates, about 70 percent of all imports and 80 percent of all humanitarian aid supplies enter the country through the strategically important Hudaida port on the Red Sea.
- Despite the escalating tensions between Israel and the Huthi Militia in Yemen, supported by Iran, the United States of America reaffirmed its commitment to Israel's security and its right to self-defense, as stated by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after speaking with his Israeli counterpart Joav Galant.
- The conflict between Israel and Iran has intensified since the Gaza War against Hamas in 2008, with Iran considered a significant threat due to its support and arming of militias linked to Israel on various fronts, such as the Huthi Militia in Yemen, regarded as part of Iran's "Axis of Evil."
- Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Huthi Militia in Yemen have all been involved in attacks against Israel, leading to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatening that "there is no place where the long arm of Israel will not reach," in response to the attack by the Huthi Militia in Tel Aviv.
- In light of the ongoing conflicts and escalating tensions in Gaza, Yemen, and elsewhere, international concerns have grown over the potential for a wider regional war, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging "utmost restraint" to prevent further escalation.
