Israel Houthi leader: attack on Tel Aviv "new level of escalation"

The leader of the Huthi in Yemen has announced a new phase in the fight against Israel. The militia's deadly attack on Tel Aviv on Friday was a "new stage of escalation", said Abdel-Malik al-Huthi in a speech broadcast on the Al-Masirah television station. "We are very happy about our direct battle with the Israeli enemy." The militia was constantly improving its capabilities and was now "stronger than before" in the battle. Israel's attack on the port of Hudaida in Yemen will only lead to more actions against Israel.

The Huthi are supported by Iran. Tehran only speaks of political support for the Shiite militia and denies supplying them with weapons. However, the US military and its partners have intercepted at least 20 Iranian ships over the past ten years, which were intended to deliver rockets, rocket parts, cruise missiles, drones, thousands of assault rifles and other war equipment to the Huthi.

The militia has continued to expand its arsenal of weapons in recent years and regularly shows this off at military parades. The missiles are said to have a range of up to 2,000 kilometers, which means that they could also hit Israel and the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv from Yemen. Al-Huthi said that the long-range drone used in the recent attack on Tel Aviv had been developed and launched by the Yemenis themselves.