Netanyahu threatens Iranian-backed Houthis over increased attacks

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a warning to Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen who have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Tel Aviv in recent weeks.

"We are striking at our enemies and those who think they can sever the thread of our lives here. This will apply to everyone," Netanyahu said on X Wednesday in a message marking the start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Targeting the Houthis directly, Netanyahu also said: "The Houthis will learn, as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime, and others have learned, and even if it takes time, this lesson will be understood across the entire Middle East."

The Yemeni group says that its attacks are in retaliation for Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 45,400 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul