Live Middle East updates: Israel will take action against Houthis in Yemen, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday his country would “use force against the Houthis in Yemen” after a weekend rocket attack on Tel Aviv injured 16 people, Israeli emergency authorities said.

“Just as we acted with force against the terrorist arms of Iran’s evil axis, we will also act against the Houthis – the result will be the same,” Netanyahu said in a statement posted on X.

Since October 2023, the Houthis have launched attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, as well as widespread drone and missile attacks on Israel.

On Thursday, Israeli forces said they intercepted a Houthi rocket, but that debris destroyed a school building in Tel Aviv.

The Houthis – who have close ties to Iran and are part of the Tehran-led “Axis of Resistance” – are calling for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza, which was launched in response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 infiltration attack into southern Israel.

The US and Britain, supported by other allies, have launched a series of attacks against Houthi targets in Yemen since January. Israel has also launched significant attacks in Yemen in recent months, most recently on Thursday.