Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened the Houthi group, on Sunday, to move against them “with force and determination,” the day after they launched a missile from Yemen that landed in Tel Aviv, wounding 20 people. Netanyahu said in a video clip broadcast by his office: “Just as we acted forcefully against the armed arms of the Iranian axis of evil, we will move against the Houthis... with strength, determination, and skill,” he claimed.

The Houthi missile attack came after the Israeli occupation launched, at dawn last Thursday, a series of raids on the Yemeni cities of Sanaa and Hodeidah, targeting power plants, ports and oil installations, causing at least nine civilian martyrs and significant damage to Infrastructure in Yemen.

The Houthis have been launching military operations against Israeli targets inside the Palestinian territories, in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea since November of last year, using ballistic missiles, drones, and naval boats. The group confirms that it will not stop its operations unless the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted.

On Sunday, in an investigation it conducted, the Israeli Air Force revealed the reason for its failure to intercept the missile launched by the Houthis on Saturday, saying that a defect occurred in the interceptor missile that led to the failure to intercept the missile. The Israeli newspaper "Maariv" reported that the Houthis have launched 201 missiles and more than 170 explosive drones at Israel since the beginning of the war, most of which were intercepted by the Americans, the Air Force and the Navy. At the same time, the same newspaper considered that “Israel was not prepared, intelligence and politically, to confront the Houthi threat, and did not form a regional alliance to confront them,” stressing that “the Israeli army faces difficulty in confronting them in defense and attack.”

Yesterday evening, Saturday, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced that the Air Force had carried out precise strikes against a missile storage facility and a Houthi command and control facility in Sanaa. US Central Command said in a statement: “We shot down drones and an anti-ship cruise missile during our Houthi bombing,” and added: “We carried out precise air strikes against a missile storage facility and a Houthi command and control facility in Sanaa.”

Centcom indicated that the strikes “aim to disrupt and reduce Houthi operations, such as attacks on warships in the Red Sea,” adding that “the strike reflects the US administration’s commitment to protecting American forces, regional partners, and international shipping.”

In a later statement, the US military said that two US Navy pilots had been shot down over the Red Sea in an incident that appeared to be the result of “friendly fire.” The two pilots were rescued, but one of them was slightly injured. American forces were carrying out air strikes targeting the Houthis in Yemen at the time of the incident, and the US Central Command statement did not provide additional details about the nature of the mission. On the other hand, the Houthi group announced the downing of an F-18 plane during an attempt by American and British destroyers to confront Yemeni drones and missiles.

Source/The New Arab