Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his first public statement on Thursday afternoon about Israel's overnight airstrikes on Houthi targets deep inside Yemen, in an operation dubbed Operation White City.
The Houthis "are finding out, and will find out, the hard way that whoever harms Israel will pay a very heavy price," he said in a Hebrew-language video statement.
"This morning, the Air Force attacked strategic targets of the Houthis in the port of Hodeidah and deep into Yemen. We did this in response to repeated Houthi attacks against civilian targets in Israel. Last night they attacked a school in Ramat Gan," Netanyahu said in the statement.
"They are not attacking just us – they are attacking the entire world. They are attacking the international shipping and commercial lanes. Thus, when Israel takes action against the Houthis, it is acting on behalf of the entire international community. The Americans understand this very well, as do many others," he continued.
"After Hamas, Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis are almost the last arm of Iran's axis of evil. They are finding out, and will find out, the hard way that whoever harms Israel – will pay a very heavy price," he concluded.
Air raid sirens jolted central Israel overnight, stretching from the Shfela region to the Sharon area, as the Arrow missile defense system intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen. Following the interception of the Houthi missile, Israeli fighter jets targeted military sites belonging to Yemen’s Houthi forces along the western coast and inland regions of Yemen, the IDF announced early Thursday, marking its first operation in Yemen since September.
Drone launched from Yemen intercepted over Tel Aviv
(Video: Ari K.)
On Thursday afternoon, the IDF intercepted an unmanned drone off the coast of Tel Aviv over the Mediterranean Sea. No alerts were activated before its interception. The IDF determined that the drone had been launched from Yemen. It is the ninth missile or drone attack by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Israel this month, including the overnight attack and two on Monday.
The IDF said the overnight strikes on Yemen aimed to degrade Houthi military capabilities and prevent the use of targeted facilities for military operations, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons. The Houthis, aligned with Iran, have repeatedly launched UAVs and surface-to-surface missiles at Israel, most of which were successfully intercepted, according to the military.
Yemeni media reported that two major power stations near the capital of Sanaa, Haziz to the south and Dhahban to the north, were struck, leaving much of the surrounding area without electricity. In addition, the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah channel reported strikes on oil facilities in Ras Issa and the port of Hodeidah, where multiple locations were targeted.
IDF spokesperson's statement after the strike on Houthi targets in Yemen
(Video: IDF)
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The operation, planned over several weeks, took place approximately 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Israeli territory, deep within Yemen. Dozens of fighter jets and additional aircraft participated in the mission, with aerial refueling enabling the extended reach of the operation.
Following the reports of Israel's retaliatory strikes, senior Houthi official Hezam al-Asad posted a threat in Hebrew on X, reading, "Tel Aviv will not be safe as long as the siege and attacks on our people in Gaza continue." In a subsequent tweet, he added, "We will not abandon Gaza, even if we die."