JERUSALEM, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Friday that "Yemen's Houthis are paying and will continue to pay a heavy price for their aggression (on Israel)," describing them as a proxy of Iran and "a threat to Israel and the entire region."
Netanyahu's remarks came after Israel's military announced that its warplanes targeted the Hezyaz power station in Yemen's capital Sanaa, as well as the Yemeni ports of Hodeidah and Ras Issa. The military claimed it targeted infrastructures used by Houthi forces for military operations.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who observed the airstrikes from the Air Force command center in Tel Aviv, said, "The port of Hodeidah is paralyzed, and the Ras Issa port is ablaze," adding the strikes sent a message to the Houthi group that "no one will be immune."
Katz vowed to "hunt down" Houthi leaders, saying, "Israel's long arm reaches and will continue to reach anywhere that threatens us -- even in Yemen."
This marks the fifth massive attack on Yemen by Israeli forces, according to Israel's Army Radio.
Figures released by the military on Thursday indicated that Houthi forces have launched about 40 surface-to-surface missiles and 320 drones toward Israel since October 2023. Most of them were intercepted, the figures showed.
The Houthis began sporadic attacks on Israel following the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, citing solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. ■
