Israel vows heavier strikes on Houthis for defending Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened Yemen’s Houthi movement with further escalation, vowing they will “pay a heavy price” for striking Israel.

“The Houthi regime is learning the hard way and will pay a heavy price for its attacks on Israel,” Netanyahu declared, warning the entire region of “the strength and determination of the State of Israel.”

Defence Minister Israel Katz issued similar threats, promising to double Israeli strikes for every missile fired. “For every missile fired at Israel, the Houthis will pay double the price,” he said, adding that Israel would tighten its air and sea blockade while destroying “infrastructure targets used to support Houthi terrorism.”

The comments come as Israel faces mounting global condemnation over its military campaign in Gaza, in which rights groups have declared as an active genocide.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have declared support for Palestinians and vowed to stop the genocide and launched repeated drone and missile attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping linked to Israel.