Jerusalem, Jan 11
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that "Yemen's Houthis are paying and will continue to pay a heavy price for their aggression (on Israel)," describing them as a proxy of Iran and "a threat to Israel and the entire region."
Netanyahu's remarks came after Israel's military announced that its warplanes targeted the Hezyaz power station in Yemen's capital Sanaa, as well as the Yemeni ports of Hodeidah and Ras Issa. The military claimed it targeted infrastructures used by Houthi forces for military operations.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who observed the airstrikes from the Air Force command centre in Tel Aviv, said, "The port of Hodeidah is paralysed, and the Ras Issa port is ablaze," adding the strikes sent a message to the Houthi group that "no one will be immune."
Katz vowed to "hunt down" Houthi leaders, saying, "Israel's long arm reaches and will continue to reach anywhere that threatens us -- even in Yemen."