Israel Threatens To Use Violence Against Houthis In Yemen

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH/Philip Andrejevic

JAKARTA Israel has threatened to use force against the Houthi rebels in Yemen who threaten ships sailing towards the Israeli port.

"Regarding the Houthis' attacks on international cargo ships, these attacks pose a threat to international trade and Israel, and these threats will be faced with violence," Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ofir Gendelman, said at a news conference reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, December 12.

But he didn't explain any further.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone strike against a Norwegian-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Yemen as the ship sailed to Israel.

Tensions have risen between the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Israel amid Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip, which killed at least 18,412 people and more than 50,100 others injured.

On Tuesday morning, the US military said an anti-ship cruise missile was fired from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen against a commercial tanker that caused fire and damage. There were no casualties in this incident.