Iran warns Israel of retaliation before war
After the Huthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, Israel strikes military targets of the group in Yemen. The group declares it is preparing for a long war against Israel. The aligned Iran also threatens with a military confrontation. UN Secretary-General Guterres expresses deep concern.
Following the Israeli air raid in Yemen in response to a fatal drone attack by the pro-Iranian Huthi in Tel Aviv, there are growing concerns of a wider conflict. The Iran and Israel exchanged warnings. Israel's "risky 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 counter-offensive against Iran's "axis of terror". "It's time now for the international community to maximize sanctions against Iran", demanded Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on the platform X. The Iran supports, trains, and finances the Huthi as "part of its regional network of terrorist organizations seeking to attack Israel", Netanyahu stated. Israel and its allies like the USA would be "directly responsible for unpredictable and dangerous consequences" of the Gaza War and attacks on Yemen, warned the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Early in the morning, Israel's missile defense intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that approached Israel from Yemen, according to military reports. Previously, a rocket alarm had been triggered in the area of the southern Israeli port city of Eilat. The projectile did not enter Israeli territory. Reports of casualties were not available.
Netanyahu: We reach enemies everywhere
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "deep concern over the risk of further escalation in the region". He called for "utmost restraint". Israel's Military reportedly targeted military targets of the Huthi in the Hodeidah port. According to a Huthi-affiliated TV station Al-Masirah, citing the health authority, there were at least three deaths and 87 injuries. Images showed massive fires. Huthi spokespersons confirmed an Israeli attack on "civilian institutions" in Yemen. Targets were reportedly oil and power facilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "from the beginning of the war, I have clearly stated that Israel will act against all those who attack us". On Friday, a man was killed and at least eight others were injured when a drone from Yemen struck the center of Tel Aviv.
The counter-strike in Yemen "makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place where the long arm of Israel will not reach", Netanyahu stated. It was the response "to hundreds of attacks of the past months on Israel", explained the Israeli army. Weapons from Iran had entered the country via the Hodeidah port, Netanyahu added. Like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, the Huthi militia in Yemen is an integral part of Iran's "axis of evil".
USA reaffirms "unwavering commitment" to Israel's security
Since the start of the Gaza War against Hamas' terror attack on Israel on October 7, 1979, the conflict between Israel and Iran has dramatically intensified. Israel feels threatened by attacks from groups linked to Iran on multiple fronts. Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Israel and the USA have been considered arch-enemies. Netanyahu also 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 drone attack in Tel Aviv, according to a Pentagon spokesperson who announced it in the night. Israel's strike was in response to months-long attacks by the Huthi against the State of Israel. Austin reaffirmed "the United States' iron commitment to Israel's security and its right to self-defense".
The Huthi military spokesperson in Yemen, Jahja Sari, stated that they were preparing for a "long war" with Israel. The group has been attacking cargo ships in the region for months, allegedly linked to Israel. They act in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza conflict in their own words. They have also targeted Israel. Most of the projectiles were intercepted. The Israeli Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that the Iranians finance, arm, and guide the terrorist activities of the Huthi.
Humanitarian aid for Yemen via attacked port
The Huthi drone targeted at Tel Aviv was loaded with explosives and crashed into a residential building in the center of the Israeli coastal metropolis on Friday. Galant threatened retaliation. The Air Force attacked targets at the Yemeni port of Hudaida, which were also used for terrorist activities, according to Hagari. Israel carried out the air raid alone and did not involve allies like the USA.
There has been a civil war raging in Yemen for years. In addition, there is a severe humanitarian crisis in which approximately 80 percent of the population is reportedly dependent on some form of aid. According to UN estimates, about 70 percent of all imports and 80 percent of all humanitarian aid to the country come through the strategically important Hudaida port on the Red Sea.
After the escalation of tensions between Israel and the Huthi group, supported by Iran, UN Secretary-General Guterres urged both parties to exercise restraint. Despite the international community's calls for de-escalation, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani warned of Israel's "risky adventurism" potentially leading to a wider conflict in the region.
