The spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Mohammed Abdulsalam, said his country would continue to defend itself after several US strikes targeting facilities in the capital Sanaa.
“The US aggression against Yemen is a clear violation of the sovereignty of an independent state and blatant support for Israel to encourage it to continue its crimes of genocide against the people of Gaza,” Abdulsalam said on Tuesday, after the attacks conducted by the US for a second day.
The US military said it carried out strikes against targets in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa and coastal locations in Yemen on Monday and Tuesday.
“On December 30 and 31, US Navy ships and aircraft targeted a Houthi command and control facility and advanced conventional weapons (ACW) production and storage facilities that included missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),” US Army Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.
CENTCOM forces strike multiple Houthi targets in Yemen
US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted multiple precision strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi targets in Sana’a and coastal locations inside Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, December 30 and 31.
On December 30 and 31,… pic.twitter.com/XUKtsZM1U7
— US Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2024
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that a total of 12 airstrikes were launched by US military aircraft, targeting two separate districts in Sanaa.
Iran’s allied group in Yemen has launched attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year in an alleged effort to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians who are being attacked as part of of year-old Israelis. deadly war in Gaza.
Last week, a wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s main airport, killing at least three people. Separate attacks in the country’s key port city of Hodeidah killed three more people.
The attack at Sanaa’s airport came just as World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was about to board a flight there.
The Houthis vowed to respond swiftly to the attack and deal with “escalation by escalation”.
The Houthis seized control of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and have fought forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition, including the Yemeni government, in the years since.
“Support for Gaza continues”
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, on Monday issued what he called a final warning to the Houthis to stop rocket attacks on Israel.
Danon also warned Tehran that Israel has the ability to strike any target in the Middle East, including Iran. He added that Israel would not tolerate attacks by Iranian proxies.
But hours later, the Israeli military announced it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, causing sirens to be heard across the country.
The Houthis targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and a power station south of Jerusalem using a hypersonic ballistic missile and a Zulfiqar ballistic missile, the group’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Tuesday.
The Houthis would not end attacks on Israel, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthis’ supreme revolutionary committee, said after the Israeli military announced the interception of the missiles.
“The clash of the entity (Israel) continues and the support for Gaza continues,” he posted on X.
Danon, addressing the UN Security Council, said Israel would not tolerate further Houthi attacks.
“To the Houthis, you probably haven’t been paying attention to what’s been happening in the Middle East over the past year,” he said.
“Well, let me remind you what has happened to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to Assad, to all those who have tried to destroy us. Let this be your last warning. This is not a threat. It’s a promise. You will share the same miserable fate,” said Danon.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Houthis that Israel was “just getting started” after attacks in Yemen, including on Sanaa airport, ports on the country’s west coast and two power plants.
Israel’s ongoing assault on the besieged and bombed Gaza Strip, where a famine is looming, has so far killed more than 45,000 people and has been described as genocide by leading rights groups.
