Netanyahu Warns Houthis They Will ‘Pay a Heavy Price’ as Israel Strikes Yemen

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday pledged to keep targeting anyone planning attacks on Israel, as his military launched fresh airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“Whoever attacks us, we will attack him. Whoever plans to attack us, we attack him,” Netanyahu said in a video statement from the Israeli Air Force command center in Tel Aviv. “The Houthi terrorist regime is learning the hard way that it will pay a very heavy price for its aggression.”

Israeli warplanes struck multiple sites in the capital Sanaa, including near the presidential palace compound, a fuel depot, and power stations. Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed the Houthis’ presidential palace was destroyed, though local reports did not confirm that.

The Houthis said at least six people were killed and 86 wounded in the strikes, more than 20 critically, according to the group’s health ministry. Visuals from Sanaa showed a fireball lighting up the night sky and thick black smoke rising over the city.

The strikes followed an Israeli investigation that determined a ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Friday carried a cluster bomb warhead — the first such use against Israel. Katz warned the Houthis would “pay many times over” for every missile launched.

Israel has intensified its air and naval blockade of Yemen as clashes with the Houthis escalate, raising fears of a widening regional conflict.