Netanyahu warns Houthis they will 'pay heavy price' as Yemeni group's missile hits Israel

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Yemen’s Houthis that the rebel group will pay a “heavy price” after the Iran-backed group claimed to conduct its first ballistic missile strike on Israel. The remarks from the Israeli premier came at the start of a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Amid the brewing tensions in the Middle East, Houthis claimed that they had launched advanced surface-to-surface hypersonic missiles which eventually triggered air sirens across the Jewish nation at 6:30 am (local time). According to local media reports, the missile struck an open area in the Ben Shemen forest, causing a fire near Kfar Daniel. However, there were no reports of casualties or damage.

Following the attack, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) stated that it is investigating whether the fire was caused due to the fragments of the interceptor missiles launched at the projectile, or if it successfully penetrated Israeli air defences as the Houthis have claimed. The Israeli military noted that interceptors from Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow air defence systems were deployed at the time of the attack, but it is still not clear if it has successfully done its job.

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Netanyahu issues stern warning

Before the cabinet meeting, the Israeli Prime Minister noted that the Houthis should have known by now that Israel charges a “heavy price” for such attacks. “This morning, the Houthis launched a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen into our territory. They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” he said," Netanyahu said on Sunday.

“Those who need a reminder in this matter are invited to visit the port of Hodeidah,” he added, referring to Yemen’s Red Sea city, which Israeli warplanes bombed in July after the Houthis claimed a drone strike that killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, The Guardian reported.

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The warning from Netanyahu came after the Yemeni group leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, warned on Sunday of further attacks on Israel. “The operation our forces carried out today with an advanced Yemeni missile is part of the fifth stage of the escalation. What is to come will be greater,” he said in an address.

Meanwhile, Nasruddin Amer, the deputy head of the Houthi media office, called the attack “beginning”. A Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said a “new hypersonic ballistic missile” had been aimed towards an Israeli military target, which crossed 1,270 miles in 11 minutes and which the IDF failed to intercept.

It is pertinent to note that the Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel since the start of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. However, nearly all of them have been intercepted over the Red Sea. Hence, this attack is touted as a major escalation of the conflict.

With inputs from agencies.