The IDF attacked last night (between Wednesday and Thursday) Houthi military targets in Yemen, including ports and energy infrastructure in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, that the Houthis used for their military activities. “Israel will not hesitate to act to defend itself and its citizens from Houthi attacks,” stated the IDF spokesperson’s announcement.
Oil Facilities Burning: “We Will Hit any Threat to Israel, at any Required Distance”
Documentation of the strike’s results was spread on social media:
عاجل مشاهد من محافظة الحديدة باليمن بعد قصف إسرائيلي استهدف منشآت نفطية pic.twitter.com/bMTuywWhNQ
— خبرني – khaberni (@khaberni) December 19, 2024
The IDF’s strike last night was executed under the direction of the Intelligence Directorate and the Navy, targeting the western coastal strip and deep inside Yemen for the third time since the beginning of the war. The IDF explained that the strike against the military targets of the Houthi terror regime harms them by preventing the exploitation of the infrastructure for military and terror needs, including the transfer of Iranian weapons to the area.
The strike was carried out against the backdrop of cooperation by the Yemeni terror regime, which acts together with Iraqi militias to harm Israel, destabilize the sensitive security situation in the Middle East, and disrupt global maritime freedom. In what was presumably a reference to Iran, the IDF spokesperson added that the military is determined to continue operating and hitting anyone who poses a threat to the citizens of the State of Israel, at any required distance.
In a statement published by the IDF spokesperson, Brigadier General Daniel Hagari to the foreign media, he declared that last night’s attack in Yemen comes after 14 months of the terror regime launching hundreds of missile and UAV attacks towards Israel. He added that “it happened again last night,” with another missile launched towards Israel, causing millions to take shelter.
Hagari emphasized that the Houthis are directing their attacks also at other Middle Eastern countries, at the United States, and other countries, and through their attacks on international shipping, they have become a global threat, funded and directed by Iran.
The Minister of Defense threatened the heads of the Houthis: “Israel’s long arm will reach you too”
Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a direct threat to the heads of the Houthi terror organization following the Air Force planes’ attack: “Israel’s long arm will reach you too. Whoever raises a hand against the State of Israel – their hand will be cut off, whoever harms – will be harmed sevenfold.” Katz also clarified that Israel will not accept missile fire on itself or harm to shipping routes. “We will strike with force and will not allow the continuation of this state of firing and threats against the State of Israel,” the minister concluded.
President Isaac Herzog did not remain indifferent to the attack and praised the servicemen and women of the Air Force in a post he uploaded to Network X. “In the last few hours, we witnessed the enormous capabilities of the Air Force in defending the citizens of Israel and attacking against the Houthis in Yemen,” said the president. “I thank all the servicemen and women of the Air Force and the IDF for their outstanding actions and for the heavy blow they dealt to the enemy seeking to harm us and the entire region.”
Interceptor Fragments Hit a School in Ramat Gan Last Night
In the backdrop of the IDF attack in Yemen, alerts were activated in the central area last night due to a missile intercepted by the Arrow system. The IDF reported that the missile was intercepted before entering the country’s territory, but the interceptor missile’s fragments triggered the alerts. The interceptor missile hit an elementary school in Ramat Efal in Ramat Gan, causing the collapse of the school’s central structure and damage to nearby cars and vehicles.
The Ramat Gan Municipality stated that “apparently, one of the interceptors or parts of it hit the school. A wide collapse was identified in the school’s central structure, and it will not be possible to use the school until further notice. Classes for grades A-D and special education students will be relocated to nearby schools, while other grades will switch to remote learning.”
