Israel’s Lieberman calls for destruction of Yemen’s Hodeidah port
Israeli Army Radio has quoted Avigdor Lieberman, the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, saying the Houthis have caused “tremendous economic damage to Israel”.
“We must not be satisfied with a one-time blow; we must completely destroy the port of Hodeidah,” he said.
He added that the “intelligence failure today against Hezbollah, Syria, Lebanon and the Shia militias in Syria is greater than it was against Hamas on the evening of October 7”.
Israel seeks to justify widening conflict to target Yemen’s Houthis
Foreign Minister Israel Katz says his apparatus “is engaging with countries and organizations worldwide to emphasize the importance and necessity of Israel’s action against the Houthis in Yemen”.
He also said in a post on X that Israel was trying “to highlight Iran’s direct responsibility for the Houthi terror group’s aggression against Israel and international shipping routes”.
“Iran endangers global peace and must be stopped now before it is too late,” Katz claimed.
His remarks came hours after Israel bombed Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port, which is still on fire. The attack was a retaliation for Friday’s Houthi air attack on Tel Aviv.
Israel is endangering what fragile peace is left in the ME by continuing the genocide in Gaza. Israel has nothing but deflection.
Attack on Yemen ‘almost certain’ to escalate into regional conflict: Israeli institute
The Israeli Institute for National Security Research of Tel Aviv University says the attack on Yemen’s Houthi-controlled areas will lead to the armed group’s violent reaction, leading to “an almost certain escalation” in the region.
It contradicted the military claim that the attack on Hodeidah aimed to cut off the arms smuggling route from Iran to the Houthis.
“Smuggling will continue and even increase. The attack will not deter or stop Houthi attacks, but could actually increase them,” it said.
The institute said Israel was sending a message to moderate Arab countries and the West, especially the US, that the policy of containment had failed and “the Houthis must be targeted stronger”.
“Israel will find it difficult to mobilize countries in the region to stand out against the Houthis, although some, especially Egypt, have been affected by their attacks on the Red Sea international trade route more than Israel,” it said. “Arab countries fear the reaction of Iran or their proxies, and want to stay out of the line of fire and hedge risks.”
