Israel threatens to eliminate Houthi leaders

Last week, Mohammed Sinwar who succeeded his deceased brother Yahya Sinwar as the head of Hamas, was targeted in an assassination attempt; his death has not yet been officially confirmed.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Following a series of strikes on ports in Yemen and repeated Houthi missile attacks on Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened the elimination of Houthi leaders and, for the first time, dropped a hint about the death of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar.

Katz’s statement said, “As we have said before, if the Houthis continue to fire missiles at Israel, they will endure painful blows — and we will also target their leaders as we have done with Deif and the Sinwars in Gaza, Nasrallah in Beirut, and Haniyeh in Tehran. We will hunt down and eliminate Abd al-Malik al-Houthi in Yemen too,” he said.

The IDF killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in October. Last week, his brother, Mohammed Sinwar who succeeded him as the head of Hamas, was targeted in an assassination attempt, and his death has not yet been officially confirmed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “There will be more. We refuse to sit idly by while the Houthis attack us. We will strike them much harder, will target their leadership and all the infrastructure that allows them to harm us.”

Netanyahu noted that Iran “provides them support, guidance, and approval.”

“The Houthis will pay a hefty price, and we will defend ourselves by any means to safeguard the security of the State of Israel,” the prime minister said.

The IDF’s Arabic spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, wrote on X / Twitter following the attack, saying, “He who warns is excused.”

Twice last week, after the IDF warned civilians in Yemen to evacuate following a Houthi missile attack, Israel nevertheless did not retaliate.

Houthi missiles sent Israelis to shelters last Sunday, and the IDF ordered civilians to evacuate certain areas in Yemen, but no Israeli strike followed.

Similarly, another missile attack last Wednesday morning was followed by a similar warning from Israel, but Israel’s military did not strike.

The Prime Minister’s office and the military declined to comment on why there was no retaliation.

Sources have offered several explanations, including the desire to save the expense of attacking the Houthis each time they launch missiles.

Another possible reason is to avoid footage of battles during US President Donald Trump’s Middle East visit.