BarcelonaYemen’s Houthi group claimed Sunday to have fired several rockets toward the southern Israeli city of Eilat. The attack came just hours after an Israeli strike on Yemen’s port of Hodeidah left at least three dead and 90 wounded, according to Houthi health authorities. The Iran-backed militia’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a statement that they fired the rockets at “important targets” in Eilat, but did not specify which targets.
Saree said the operation was carried out “successfully,” although the Israeli military had earlier confirmed the claim that it had intercepted a missile approaching Israel from Yemen. The Houthi spokesman also said that this morning they had fired “several ballistic missiles and drones” that “targeted” the ship “Bomba” as it crossed the Red Sea toward Malaysia. He stressed that the rebels had the “full right to defend” Yemen against “aggression” by the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as “against Israeli aggression,” in reference to Saturday’s attack on Hodeidah.
Climbing in the area
Iran condemned the Israeli attack on the port of Hodeidah on Saturday evening, warning that “dangerous Israeli adventures” could lead to “escalation and expansion of the war,” according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani. “The oppressed but strong Yemeni people are paying the price for their noble support for the innocent people of Gaza,” Kanaani said.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government also condemned the attack, saying it would “further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis” in the Arab country. The government, based in the southern port city of Aden, said in a statement that the attack on Hodeidah was a “clear violation of all international laws and norms” and held Israel responsible for “any repercussions” that might result from the bombing. It also accused Tel Aviv of “strengthening the position of these militias.” [houthis] And their deceptive propaganda stories.
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when the Houthis rebelled against the internationally recognized government and seized control of large areas of the country’s center, north and west. The conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations, involves various Middle Eastern powers on opposing sides. While the Houthis, a Shiite rebel group, are backed by Iran, the internationally recognized government is aided by an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
That is why Saudi Arabia wanted to distance itself from the Israeli attack on Hodeidah. Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Turki al-Maliki stressed in a statement that the Arab state “has no relation or involvement in the attack on Hodeidah.” Al-Maliki also referred to the rumors about allowing Israel to use Saudi airspace to attack Yemen, stressing that “the Kingdom will not allow any party to violate its airspace.”
For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Sunday, via a tweet on Twitter, that he is working to “emphasize the importance and necessity of Israeli measures against the Houthis, and highlight Iran’s responsibility for direct involvement in the Houthi terrorist aggression against Israel.”
These words are in line with those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Saturday, after the attack on Hodeidah, appealed to the international community to “support Israel’s fight against Iran and its proliferation.” The prime minister plans to travel to Washington on Monday to meet with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
Violence does not stop in Gaza
Hostilities with Yemen have not stopped Israel, which attacked the Gaza Strip again tonight. Specifically, the Israeli military, which claims to have carried out “selective operations on several military installations,” struck the Bureij refugee camp tonight, killing at least seven people. In total, according to health authorities in the Strip, Israeli fire has killed 64 people and wounded more than a hundred in the past 24 hours.
Israeli forces also advanced into positions north and west of Rafah, where the military said it found more “terrorist infrastructure” in the area. Israel, which launched a ground incursion into the city at the southern tip of the Strip two months ago, already controls the south and east of the city.
“Freelance social media evangelist. Organizer. Certified student. Music maven.”
