Israeli Defense Minister says Houthi leaders in crosshairs
"We will not accept the fact that the Houthis continue to shoot at the State of Israel," Israel Katz said.
JNS
Dec 25, 2024
Houthi leaders according to Saudi Arabia
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the Jewish state will target the heads of the Houthi terror group after a successful missile interception by Israel’s long-range Arrow defense system shortly before 2 a.m. local time.
The missile was intercepted outside of Israeli territory, the IDF said.
“I warned and said that just as we dealt with [recently eliminated Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar in Gaza, [Hamas political leader Ismail] Haniyeh in Tehran and [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah in Beirut, we will also deal with the heads of the Houthis in Sana’a and everywhere in Yemen,” Katz said.
He made his remarks while touring an Arrow missile battery along with Brig. Gen. Gilad Biran, commander of the Israeli Air Force Air Defense Division, Brig. Gen. Gilad Biran. He praised servicemembers of the air-defense system for their actions throughout the war.
According to Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster, the Jewish state is considering a more aggressive and widespread attack on the Houthis.
The IAF, Military Intelligence Directorate and Operations Directorate have been working to prepare “much more aggressive plans” while expanding the target bank in Yemen, Kan News reported on Tuesday.
Alarms sounded across large parts of the center and south of the country on Tuesday due to the possibility of fragments from the interception injuring civilians.
A 60-year-old woman sustained injuries while running to a shelter in Tel Aviv. She is in serious condition and hospitalized in Ichilov Hospital.
Magen David Adom paramedics treated 25 people who were lightly hurt running to shelters or who suffered anxiety attacks.
The missile followed two others launched from Yemen in recent days. Overnight on Friday, one hit a playground in Jaffa, part of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa metropolitan area, at 3:44 a.m., lightly wounding 16 people.
An Israeli Air Force investigation found that an interceptor missile malfunction caused the failure.
According to Kan News, Arrow interceptors were launched into the upper atmosphere but missed the target outside of Israeli territory. Interceptors were then launched in the lower atmosphere but also missed the target. Video footage showed the failed interception attempts.
A partial interception of another Houthi ballistic missile before dawn on Thursday ended with the missile’s warhead hitting an elementary school in Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv. The warhead struck at night and no injuries were reported.
“We will not accept the fact that the Houthis continue to shoot at the State of Israel,” Katz said. “Those who sponsor Houthi terrorism in Hodeidah or Sanaa will pay the full price.”
“We do not trust anyone except the IDF to protect the towns and the residents. We will not allow threats to form, and we will act in advance against any threat,” he said, referring to the current threat as “the first missile war.”
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