Defense Minister: Israel will launch strikes against Houthi leaders in Yemen

Israel will launch strikes against the leaders of Yemen's Houthi rebel group, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said, pledging that Israel “will not allow the continued uncontrolled firing” of rockets and drones into the country, the Times of Israel reported.

The announcement of the shelling of the Houthi leaders would apparently signal an escalation by Israel, which has so far hit port infrastructure and military facilities in several combat sorties in response to repeated drone and ballistic missile launches from Yemen, the Israeli media outlet said.

A rocket fired early Tuesday morning was shot down, but sirens in the Tel Aviv area caused widespread panic, and one woman was seriously injured as she fled for cover. “Just as we dealt with Sinwar in Gaza, Haniyeh in Tehran and Nasrallah in Beirut, we will deal with the Houthi ringleaders in Sanaa or anywhere else in Yemen. We will act against their infrastructure as well as against themselves to eliminate the threat,” Katz said.

He also threatened “Iranian patrons of the Houthis,” saying that “whoever sponsors the terror of the Houthis in Hodeidah or Sanaa will pay for it in full.”