Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to “exact a heavy price” from the Houthis in Yemen and “change the balance of power” along Israel’s northern border following rocket attacks from Yemen and Lebanon.
“The Houthis should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us. Those who need a reminder are invited to visit the port of Hodeidah,” said Netanyahu at the beginning of the weekly Cabinet meeting.
In July, a Houthi drone killed a man in central Tel Aviv, in response to which Israel struck Yemen’s Hodeidah port. The Iranian terrorist proxy has launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7.
On Sunday morning, the Houthis fired a surface-to-surface missile at Israel that detonated over the center of the country.
Hezbollah also launched dozens of rockets and a drone into northern Israel on Sunday, sparking several fires but causing no injuries.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday night that the Israeli Air Force had struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the Beqaa and Baalbek areas, deep inside Lebanon.
Hezbollah has attacked Israel hundreds of times since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023. In October, Israel evacuated some 60,000 residents of communities near the Lebanese border, who remain in state-subsidized accommodations.
“I’m attentive to the residents of the north,” Netanyahu told ministers on Sunday. “I’m talking with them and with community leaders in the north. I see their distress, I hear their cries,” he said, adding, “The status quo will not continue.”
This, he said, “requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border. We will do everything necessary to return our residents safely to their homes. I am committed to this, the government is committed to it and we will not settle for less than that.”
The prime minister invited Israel’s enemies to study the condition of Hamas in Gaza, where Israel has killed some 17,000 terrorists since Oct. 7, according to the IDF.
“Anyone who attacks us will not escape our reach. Hamas is already learning this in our determined action that will lead to its destruction and the release of all our hostages,” said Netanyahu.
