Israeli officials warned Yemen’s Houthis could face strikes similar to those recently carried out against their sponsors in Iran, after Israel intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward the Jewish state on Tuesday night.
“Yemen's law is the same as Tehran's. After we struck the head of the snake in Tehran, we will also strike the Houthis in Yemen,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, referring to the 12-day conflict with Iran.
“Whoever raises a hand against Israel — that hand will be cut off,” he added.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also reacted, referencing the same operation. “Maybe those B2 bombers need to visit Yemen,” he wrote on X, referring to the American stealth bombers used in the strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“Fortunately, Israel's incredible interception system means we go to the shelter and wait until all clear," he added.
The Houthis said they had carried out three operations against Israel on Tuesday.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Yemen’s Houthis have launched missiles, rockets, and drones toward Israel and enforced a maritime disruption in the Red Sea, in what it describes as support for Palestinians in Gaza.
The escalation comes following a ceasefire deal announced on May 6, in which President Donald Trump said the US would stop bombing the Houthis after they agreed to halt attacks on key shipping lanes.
Oman, which mediated the agreement, said both sides committed not to target each other, including US vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The ceasefire agreement, however, did not include Houthi attacks on Israel, according to the group's spokesperson.
Last month, the group's rivals in Yemeni government said that Iran is transferring parts of its military industry, including ballistic missile and drone production to Houthi-controlled areas in Saada, Hajjah, and the outskirts of Sanaa.
Moammar al-Eryani, information minister of Yemen's internationally-recognized government urged the world to treat the threat seriously.
