Yemen Monitor – Newsroom:
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid launched a fierce critique of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, accusing him of “cowardice and procrastination” in dealing with threats from the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.
In urgent remarks, Lapid warned that Israel “cannot wait until a missile from the Yemeni militias causes a mass disaster or continues to paralyze the Israeli economy,” urging intensified strikes on Houthi infrastructure and missile launch sites in Yemen.
Lapid also called for targeting Iranian experts and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stationed in Yemen, and advocated for expanding cyberattacks on vital systems to disrupt electricity, water, ports, and airports.
“There are many ways to inflict serious damage on Yemen,” he concluded, “all we need is an effective government and a prime minister who isn’t afraid of his own shadow.”
Meanwhile, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, expressed disbelief that millions of Israelis were still fleeing to shelters nearly 19 months into the war.
This political escalation coincided with the interception of a missile launched from Yemen, which triggered sirens across Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and dozens of other locations.
The Israeli military confirmed earlier that it had identified a missile launch from Yemen and initiated interception attempts. Channel 14 reported that the US THAAD missile defense system failed for the second time in a week to intercept a Houthi missile. Today’s interception, the channel said, was successfully carried out by Israel’s own Arrow (Hetz) defense system.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport was temporarily halted due to the interception.
Israel Hayom added that millions rushed to shelters after the missile launch, and Israeli emergency services confirmed that one woman was injured while trying to reach a shelter.
In response, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed a “strong retaliation” against Yemen following today’s missile incident.
On Tuesday evening, the Sultanate of Oman announced the success of mediation efforts between Washington and the Houthis, resulting in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
However, the Houthi movement clarified that the agreement does not include Israel, affirming that its operations will continue in support of Gaza until what it described as Israel’s genocide of Palestinian civilians is halted.
