US Army Targets Yemeni Houthis; Missiles Fired from Yemen to Tel Aviv

The United States Army announced that it targeted the positions and bases of the Houthi militant group in Yemen following a renewed attack by the Houthis on Israel. The US Central Command, CENTCOM, stated in a notice on Tuesday, January 1, that US ships and warplanes attacked several Houthi bases, including ammunition depots and one of the group's command centers. The announcement indicated that the buildings targeted by the US were used for storing missiles and drones that were employed in Houthi attacks against the US Navy and international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. According to CENTCOM, a radar center and several Houthi cruise missiles were also destroyed in the US military's attacks on Monday and Tuesday. CENTCOM stated that the aim of these attacks is to reduce the capabilities of the Iran-backed Houthis to threaten US partners and military and commercial vessels in the region. A report from the Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV indicated that the US and the UK have targeted Yemen at least 10 other times. The report mentioned that the Houthi Ministry of Defense in Sanaa was targeted twice. Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Houthi spokesman, described these attacks as a "clear violation of the sovereignty of an independent country" and stated that Yemen would defend itself against US attacks. Hours before this event, Houthi militants claimed to have targeted Tel Aviv International Airport and several locations in Jerusalem. Yahya Saree, the Houthi army spokesman, stated in televised remarks that Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and a power plant in the Jerusalem area were attacked with ballistic missiles. He also claimed that the Houthis had repelled a "large aerial attack" by the US military that was conducted with drones and cruise missiles. The Israeli army announced on the same day that its air defense intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. Reports indicated that as sirens sounded in the coastal city of Tel Aviv and other central areas of Israel, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens rushed to shelters. The Israeli army stated that it intercepted the missile before it entered the country's airspace. Local media also reported that the remnants of an intercepted rocket hit a road in one of the settlements near Jerusalem, causing damage. Iran-backed Houthis have increased missile, rocket, and drone launches towards Israel in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Israel has conducted heavy attacks against Houthi infrastructure in Yemen twice in the last two weeks. A senior minister in the Israeli government also stated on Tuesday, January 2, that Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of the Yemeni Houthi rebels, is on a list prepared by Israel for targeting this group. Eli Cohen, the Minister of Energy and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party, told Channel Kan that Abdulmalik al-Houthi has no immunity, just as Hassan Nasrallah (the deceased Secretary-General of Hezbollah) had no immunity. This is the second time in three days that Mr. Cohen, who has also previously served as Foreign Minister, describes the Houthi leader as being on a list prepared by Israel for killing.