Houthi threatens to retaliate against Israeli attack
Last Updated on August 9, 2024 9:46 am
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have threatened to retaliate against Israel’s attack on Yemen’s seaport.
On Thursday (August 8), the leader of the rebel group, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said retaliation for an Israeli attack on a port under their control was inevitable.
Meanwhile, his promise has increased the regional tension. Because last week, Iran also announced revenge against Israel for the killing of two leaders of armed groups supported by Tehran.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech that the response to the July 20 attack targeting fuel storage tanks in Hudaydah port was “inevitable and will come”.
At the same time, the rebel leader also commented that the war with Israel is at its “extreme limit”.
The Houthis are fighting Israel as part of Iran’s so-called ‘axis of resistance’. Armed groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon belong to this axis.
Al-Houthi said the delayed response by the Houthis and Iran’s regional allies to Israel’s latest move was “merely tactical”.
He added that a truly effective response is being given, given the preemptive defense measures taken by Israel and its US backers. He also said that the decision to respond was a decision taken by everyone in the resistance axis.
The attack in Hodeidah, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, was the first to be claimed by Israel. The attack came a day after the Houthis launched their first deadly attack on Israel.
They killed an Israeli civilian in a drone strike in Tel Aviv.
According to Houthi rebels, the Israeli strike destroyed the port’s fuel storage capacity and killed at least 9 people.
Since November, the Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Israeli shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. They say the operation to disrupt sea traffic is to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war.
“The reduction of maritime traffic is a great victory,” the Houthi leader said, adding that a total of 177 ships had been targeted.
Source: AFP, Arab News