Iran denies ordering Houthi attacks, as Yemen group reports wave of US airstrikes
Houthis report 14 wounded in rebel-held Sanaa by some 10 overnight strikes, after group struck Ben Gurion Airport with a missile on Sunday, lightly wounding six people
Iran on Monday denied directing Yemen’s Houthis in their attacks on Israel, after the group, which controls much of Yemen, struck Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv with a missile a day earlier, lightly wounding six people.
“The actions of the Yemenis in support of the Palestinian people was an independent decision stemming from their feeling of solidarity,” said Iran’s foreign ministry in a statement.
The Houthis on Monday blamed Washington for around 10 strikes in and around the capital Sanaa the previous night.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency said the strikes included two targeting Arbaeen street in the capital as well as one on the airport road, blaming them on “American aggression.”
The rebels’ health ministry said 14 people were wounded in the Sawan neighborhood, according to Saba.
The strikes came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate against the Houthis, and to act as well as against “their patron” Iran “at a time and place of our choosing.”
US President Donald Trump also said Sunday, “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”
The Houthi military spokesperson in Yemen, Yahya Sarea, announced the imposition on Sunday of a complete “aerial blockade” on Israel, saying the group would continue to launch rockets at Ben Gurion Airport.
He called on all airlines to cancel their flights to Israel, as many international carriers have done at least temporarily.
The success of such a blockade is highly unlikely, however, with Israel’s defensive systems expected to be able to tackle most incoming missiles.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 27 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. Only around half of them triggered sirens in the country and were shot down, while the others fell short.
The sirens have sent hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushing to shelters at all hours of the night and day, causing a number of injuries in the scramble amid threats from the incoming missiles and also as a precaution against falling debris from intercepts, which have occasionally caused injuries, death and damage.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas attack.
In recent weeks, the United States has been carrying out massive airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthis, targeting their leadership and infrastructure.
The Times of Israel Community.