Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the security cabinet on Sunday after Israeli jets struck Houthi positions in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. The strikes came shortly after missiles were launched at Israel from Yemen.
Netanyahu warns Houthis
Netanyahu declared that the Houthis were paying a steep price. “The Air Force again attacked strategic targets in Yemen today. It attacked the presidential palace in the heart of the capital, Sanaa, the city’s power plant and the fuel tanks that supply it. The Houthi terrorist regime is learning the hard way that it will pay and is paying a very heavy price for its aggression against the State of Israel,” he said in a video statement.
Later, while speaking at the Air Force command center in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu stressed that Israel would respond to every threat. “Whoever attacks us, we will attack him. Whoever plans to attack us—we attack them. I think the entire region is learning Israel’s strength and determination,” he said.
New missile threat emerges
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported that a missile fired from Yemen on Friday carried a cluster bomb warhead. This marked the first known use of such a weapon by the Houthis against Israel.
Katz says palace destroyed
In addition, Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed Israel destroyed the Houthis’ presidential palace. “The IDF has now destroyed the Houthi presidential palace in Yemen and attacked fuel depots and power and electricity stations,” Katz said.
Furthermore, he promised that Israel would maintain pressure. “We continue to impose an air and naval blockade and are hitting infrastructure targets used to promote Houthi terrorism. For every missile they launch at Israel, the Houthis will pay many times over,” he warned.
However, Netanyahu only confirmed that the palace was targeted, not destroyed. Independent sources have not yet verified the level of damage.
Senior officials oversee operations
Finally, Netanyahu and Katz watched the strikes with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar. Reports also noted that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar was invited to observe.