Netanyahu promises severe retaliation against Houthis after rocket attack on Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Sunday to “exact a heavy price” on the Houthi group in Yemen following a rocket attack that injured nine people in Tel Aviv.

"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," Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting as cited by a statement from his office, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"Those who need a reminder in this matter are invited to visit the port of Al Hudaydah," he added, referring to the western Yemeni city that Israeli warplanes bombed in July after a Houthi drone attack killed one Israeli in Tel Aviv.

The Houthi missile landed in an open area near Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday morning despite Israeli attempts to intercept it.

According to the Israeli army and local media, nine Israelis were injured while rushing to shelters, and fires broke out in wooded areas due to falling missile debris. A fire also ignited at a major cement factory during the incident.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have been targeting ships that are Israeli-owned, flagged, operated, or headed to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under a devastating Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

News.Az