Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate against any entity planning attacks on Israel, following airstrikes in Yemen that killed at least six people and wounded dozens.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday declared that Israel will continue to launch preemptive and retaliatory strikes against anyone planning to attack the country. His remarks followed Israeli Air Force strikes in Yemen that killed at least six people and wounded dozens more, according to Houthi-controlled sources. Speaking from the Israeli Air Forceโs command centre in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu made clear that the strikes were part of a broader campaign to deter threats from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have increasingly targeted Israel in recent months.
โWhoever attacks us, we will attack him. Whoever plans to attack us, we attack him,โ Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. โThe entire region is learning Israelโs strength and determinationโฆ The Houthi terrorist regime is paying a very heavy price for its aggression against Israel.โ
Israeli air force targets presidential palace, infrastructureย
The Israeli Air Force targeted multiple sites in Yemenโs capital Sanaa, including a military compound near the presidential palace, a fuel depot, and two power stations. While Prime Minister Netanyahu stopped short of confirming a direct hit on the Houthi-controlled palace, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed that it had been destroyed.
โThe IDF has now destroyed the Houthi presidential palace in Yemen and attacked fuel depots and electricity stations. We continue to impose an air and naval blockade and are hitting infrastructure used to promote Houthi terrorism,โ Katz said.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that six people were killed and 86 injured, with over 20 in critical condition. The airstrike, which reportedly hit a building in central Sanaa and an oil facility in the southern part of the city, caused massive fires and left thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Visuals from the scene showed a huge fireball lighting up the night sky, indicating a powerful explosion. Houthi media outlet Al-Masirah confirmed that the same power station targeted this week had also been hit in an earlier Israeli strike just days ago.
The latest airstrike came after the Israeli military revealed that a Friday night missile attack from Yemen involved the use of a cluster bomb warhead a first in the ongoing confrontation. Israel said the discovery marked a dangerous escalation by the Houthis and warranted a strong military response.
โFor every missile that the Houthis launch at Israel, they will pay many times over,โ Defence Minister Katz warned.