Houthi Missile Launches Again After Israeli Attacks on Sana'a

Hours after extensive Israeli attacks on Houthi positions in Sana'a, the Israeli army announced that after warning sirens sounded in several areas of central Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted and destroyed before entering Israeli territory. According to the Israeli army's Telegram channel, the warning sirens related to this attack sounded on Thursday night, January 6, due to the possibility of missile debris falling. Meanwhile, according to the 'Times of Israel', the potential Houthi attack temporarily prevented four planes from Europe from landing at Ben Gurion Airport, but normal airport operations resumed after about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis claimed that at least six people were killed and 40 others were injured during the Israeli attacks on Thursday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, stated that he was boarding a plane at Sana'a International Airport during the Israeli attack and that one of the crew members of that plane was injured. On Thursday, Israel targeted the positions of this Iran-affiliated group in Sana'a, the capital, and Hodeidah amid a speech of 'victory' by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the Houthi leader. The Israeli army announced in a statement that its air force fighters conducted attacks against the military positions of the 'terrorist government' of the Houthis on the western coast and in the interior regions of Yemen after operational plans were approved by the Chief of Staff, the Minister of Defense, and the Prime Minister of the country. The statement recalled the repeated drone and missile attacks by the Houthis against Israel and its citizens, adding that among the targets attacked were military infrastructures used by the Houthis for their military activities at Sana'a International Airport and the Hazeer and Ras Qentib power plants. The Israeli army also confirmed attacks on Houthi military infrastructures in the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Qentib, adding that the Houthis used these ports for 'smuggling Iranian weapons to the region and the entry of senior Iranian officials' into Yemen. The Israeli army's statement reminded that these actions by the Houthis are another example of this Iran-supported group exploiting civilian infrastructures for military purposes. According to the Israeli army's statement, 'the terrorist regime of the Houthis is the central part of the Iranian government's terrorism axis, and their attacks on ships and international shipping lines continue to destabilize the region and the world.' The Israeli army concluded its statement by saying: 'The terrorist regime of the Houthis acts as an autonomous terrorist group relying on the cooperation and funding of the Iranian government for its attacks,' and Israel will not hesitate to confront any threat against its citizens from any distance from this country. In this context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday after his country's fighter jets attacked Houthi positions in Yemen in a television program: 'Our work with the Houthis has just begun.' Netanyahu, in an interview with Channel 14 of Israeli television, referring to the start of attacks against the interests of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, added: 'We have just begun. We will not allow them to attack us again. We will bring a bitter end for the Houthis so that they learn a lesson; just as we promised and Hamas, Hezbollah, and Assad's Syria learned a lesson and took heed.' Additionally, a spokesperson for Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, referred to the 'destabilizing actions of the Houthis over the past year' and described Thursday's Israeli attacks as 'concerning,' calling for a halt to military actions and maximum restraint from all parties. Following Thursday's Israeli attacks, the Houthis announced that they were ready for a 'quick response' to Israel and that they would adopt the same approach in the face of 'escalating tensions.' The Persian-language account of the Israeli army on X media announced early Friday local time that millions of Israelis had gone to shelters following the Houthi missile attack. Following heavy attacks against Hamas and Hezbollah and the elimination of most of their commanders and the killing of thousands of members of these two groups, as well as the fall of Bashar Assad's government, Israel has recently increased the intensity and frequency of its attacks against the Houthis as the 'last proxy arm' of the Iranian government in the region.