by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israeli air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels early Wednesday, marking the second consecutive night and fourth attack in a week targeting central Israel in an escalating near-nightly pattern. The same day, the Houthis also launched a drone that crashed in an open area near Ashkelon in southern Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Sirens blared across central Israel, prompting millions to rush to bomb shelters as a precaution against falling debris from the intercepted missile.
This marked the fourth missile attack on Israel by the Houthis in less than a week, following strikes on Thursday, Saturday, and Tuesday.
Senior Houthi official Hezam al-Asad mocked Israel on X (formerly Twitter), writing in Hebrew: “How long can four million people be in shelters?” He added, “Run to the shelters, we repeatedly warned you to stop killing Gaza’s children.”
A Wall Street Journal report underscored mounting concerns in Washington and among international allies over the Houthis’ access to advanced missile and drone technologies supplied by Iran. Western sources also alleged Russian involvement, citing intelligence suggesting Western ships in the Red Sea are supplying the Houthis.
Following the IDF’s interception of a drone launched from Yemen on Monday, after two unsuccessful attempts to intercept ballistic missiles last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Israelis to “remain patient and steadfast.” He also hinted at a coordinated international effort against the Houthis, potentially involving increased U.S. involvement.
“We will act with strength, determination, and ingenuity,” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Monday. “Even if it takes time, the result will be the same as with other terrorist arms.” He vowed that Israel’s recent strike in Yemen “will not be the last.”
Israeli officials have reportedly discussed plans with their U.S. counterparts to escalate strikes against the Houthis, with American support. However, Ynet News cites sources indicating that Israel will likely intensify its attacks to a decisive level only after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump assumes office on January 20.
“The Houthis will pay a heavy price; there will be a ratcheting up of Israeli attacks,” an unnamed source told Ynet News. “But it’s nothing compared to what will happen once Trump enters office. The Americans are planning to impose an embargo on them and sanctions.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Christians gathered in Indonesia on Thursday to pray for survivors and families of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami 20 years ago that killed some 230,000 people and left deep scarves in the lives of those who were there.
The US-based Eastern European Mission (EEM) Bible distribution ministry recently reported that, amid the continuing devastating war against Russia’s invasion, Ukrainians have requested an increasing number of Bibles to be sent to be delivered in their language, The Christian Post (CP) reports.
A bus carrying dozens of people veered off the road, landing in a lake in Norway and killing several people, authorities say.
Hundreds of Christians in Syria took to the streets of Damascus on Tuesday to protest the destruction of a Christmas tree in the Christian-majority town of Suqaylabiyah, near Hama, Politico reports. The tree was burned down just over two weeks after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamic insurgent group on December 8.
Five journalists of a television station linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a group designated as a “terrorist organization” by Israel, were killed Thursday in an Israeli air strike on their vehicle in Gaza, the network said.
An increasing number of mass graves are being discovered in Syria since the brutal rule of dictator Bashar al-Assad came to an end at the hands of the Islamic insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8, TRT reports. Last week, an international war crimes prosecutor said the mass grave sites in Syria show Assad had operated the “machinery of death” against anyone he considered an enemy.
Sudanese civilians are dealing with famine in addition to the death, displacement, maiming, and trauma brought on them by the war for power between Sudan’s National Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that broke out in April 2023, Courthouse News reports.