Israel Conducts Largest Strike on Houthi Targets in Yemen

Israel struck Houthi forces in Yemen on Thursday in retaliation for the group’s increasing ballistic missile and drone attacks.

Targets: Some 25 Israeli warplanes took part in the mission, including refueling, cargo and intelligence-gathering planes. The Israel Defense Forces (idf) said it hit infrastructure at:

• the Sanaa International Airport
• two power plants
• the ports of al-Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Kanatib along the Red Sea

“These infrastructures were used by the Houthi terror regime to transfer Iranian weapons to the region and for the entry of senior Iranian officials,” the idf said.

Impact: According to the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency, six people were killed in the strikes—three at the airport and three in Hudaydah—and another 40 were wounded.

Video footage published by the Houthi-controlled television channel al-Masirah showed damage to the airport: blown out windows, blood-stained floors, and a destroyed air traffic control tower.

The strikes are Israel’s fourth and largest retaliatory attack on the Houthis, following a series of increased attacks on Israel.

Aggravation: Within the past year, the Houthis have launched over 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel to protest its military efforts in Gaza. Since December 16, they have launched five ballistic missiles and at least five drones.

Most of these attacks have been intercepted by Israel and its allies; however, some projectiles have managed to get through.

• Last Saturday, Israel’s air defense was unable to stop a Houthi missile that struck a park in Jaffa, injuring 16 people.

• A partially intercepted Houthi missile also struck and destroyed a portion of an elementary school in Ramat Gan on December 19. No one was inside the building at the time, but the damage is expected to cost $11 million.

The Houthis have also launched over 100 attacks at various cargo vessels in the Red Sea this past year, disrupting global shipping transiting the waterway.

Iranian axis: Following Israel’s retaliation on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out the source of the Houthis’ power and aggression. “We are determined to cut off this terror arm of the Iranian axis of evil,” he said. “We will persist in this until we complete the job.”

Nevertheless, the Houthis’ aggression persists. After the attacks on Thursday, Houthi-run al-Masirah tv reported that the terrorist group was ready to meet “escalation with escalation.”

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has said Yemen is “one of the world’s most strategically important countries.” It is unlikely Iran will pull out easily.

To understand more about Iran’s influence in Yemen and the country’s prophesied future, read Mr. Flurry’s article “The Battle for the Red Sea.”