'We will continue to strike,' says Netanyahu after Israel pounds Houthi targets

Tel Aviv [Israel], September 10 (ANI/TPS): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday evening that Israel would continue striking its enemies after the Air Force carried out a long-range attack against Houthi targets in Yemen.

"A few days ago, we eliminated most of the members of the Houthis' terror government. In response, the Houthis fired on Ramon Airport two days ago. That did not relax our hands. We prepared for them from the air again today, at their terror facilities, at terror bases with a great many terrorists, and also at other facilities," Netanyahu said. "We will continue and strike. Anyone who hits us, anyone who attacks us--we will reach him."

The Israel Defence Forces confirmed that fighter jets struck multiple sites in the capital Sana'a and in Al Jawf province in northern Yemen. The IDF said its targets included military camps used to plan and execute operations against Israel, a fuel depot serving Houthi forces, and the headquarters of the group's public relations department, which it described as a propaganda hub that broadcast speeches by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi and other senior figures.

The Air Force described the raid as its longest mission since the outbreak of the war, covering more than 2,350 kilometres. More than ten fighter jets participated, deploying over thirty munitions against fifteen separate targets. Several midair refuelling operations were required to complete the strike.

"The IDF will operate against the ongoing and repeated attacks of the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel, and remains determined to continue removing any threat posed to the civilians of the State of Israel, wherever it is required," the military said in a statement.

Defence Minister Israel Katz praised the action, calling it "another painful blow" against the Houthis. "We promised more strikes and today we prepared another painful blow to the Houthi terrorist organisation in Yemen," Katz said.

Arab media reported that the Yemeni Ministry of Defence compound in central Sana'a was among the sites hit, as well as government buildings in Al-Hazm, the capital of Al Jawf province near the Saudi border. The latter strike marked the first known Israeli attack in that region, which has been a staging ground for missile and drone launches toward Israel.

The latest escalation follows a Houthi drone attack earlier this week that damaged the terminal at Ramon Airport in southern Israel, wounding five people. It also comes less than two weeks after an Israeli strike killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and multiple senior ministers.

Since March 18, when Israel resumed its campaign against Hamas following a temporary cease-fire, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 70 ballistic missiles and over 23 drones at Israel. Most were either intercepted or fell short of Israeli territory. Since Hamas's October 7 attack, the terror group has fired more than 200 missiles and 170 drones.

From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthis have attacked or harassed more than 100 ships in the Red Sea as they traversed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow maritime chokepoint between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa.

Much of the world's oil passes through the Strait from the Indian Ocean toward the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. The Houthi attacks have brought the Port of Eilat to a standstill.

Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage, in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive. (ANI/TPS)

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