Israel has given a final warning to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants to stop their missile attacks or risk suffering the same fate as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. The ultimatum was given at the United Nations Security Council, where Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon laid out Israel’s case for why military action should be taken against the Houthis.
Israel’s government said the Houthis were a well-equipped terrorist force, posing not just a regional threat but a danger to global stability. Danon said the group’s recent attacks, which have targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, could have devastating consequences, such as disrupting vital global trade routes like the Suez Canal. He claimed the Houthis, with an annual budget of $1.2 billion, were part of Iran’s larger “war against peace.
He told the Houthis that Israel won’t accept the attacks anymore. “To the Houthis, perhaps you haven’t been watching what has been happening to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to Assad,” Danon said, hinting that Houthis would share a similar end if they persisted with their assaults. He insisted that Israel wouldn’t wait for any international move before acting by stating, “We will protect our citizens.
According to Israeli authorities, the Houthis have carried out more than 300 attacks on Israel in 2024. In response to Israel’s threats, Houthi leader Mohamed Ali al-Houthi announced that the group would continue its attack on Israel and support for Gaza, including targeting shipping and Israeli sites. He stated that attacks on strategic locations, such as Israel’s nuclear sites, may be imminent.
The foreign minister of Israel called for the Houthi militant group to be declared a foreign terrorist organization, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that military operations targeting Houthi-linked targets in Yemen were “only just” beginning.
