A Bold Vow
Defense Minister Katz Issues Unprecedented Threat: "The Israeli Flag Will Fly Over Yemen's Capital"
Following a series of Houthi attacks on Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a direct and defiant message to the Houthi leader, vowing a decisive victory for Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has delivered a sharp and defiant warning to the Houthi leadership in Yemen, making a highly unusual and direct threat on his social media account. In a message addressed to Houthi spiritual leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the minister declared, "Your time will come." He vowed that the Houthi's slogan of "Death to Israel, curse upon the Jews" would be replaced by the Israeli flag flying over the capital of a "united Yemen."
Katz's strong statement comes after a series of increasingly bold Houthi attacks on Israeli territory. This includes a drone attack on the Ramon International Airport near Eilat a week and a half ago, which caused minor injuries to eight people, as well as a ballistic missile launch on Thursday that was intercepted near central Israel and Jerusalem. In response, the Israeli Air Force launched a new operation called "Overhead View," targeting the Hodeidah port in Yemen, which the IDF confirmed is used by the Houthis to receive weapons from Iran. A spokesperson for the IDF had issued a prior warning to civilians to evacuate the port area before the strike.
The ongoing war between Israel and the Houthis has been escalating for some time. About a month ago, Israel targeted and killed the Houthi "Prime Minister" Ahmed al-Rahwi and several ministers in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. In a televised speech following that strike, the Houthi leader, al-Houthi, threatened to continue and escalate missile launches against Israel and hinted that his security services would hunt for local agents and "traitors" working with Israel.
With both sides now openly vowing to defeat the other, the public exchange shows the gravity of this escalating and open war.