The leader of Yemen鈥檚 Huthi rebels said on Sunday his group would keep launching attacks against Israel, a day after confirming that an Israeli strike had killed their government鈥檚 prime minister.
An attack on Thursday killed the Huthis鈥� prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi, and other officials, the Iran-backed group has said.
Israel鈥檚 military has confirmed the strike on Sanaa, Yemen鈥檚 rebel-held capital, and that it had killed Rahawi 鈥� the most senior official known to have died in a series of attacks during the Gaza war.
In a speech broadcast Sunday on the Huthis鈥檚 Al-Masirah TV, group leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi vowed to continue 鈥榯argeting Israel with missiles and drones鈥� and to escalate these attacks.
He added that recent Israeli strikes on rebel-held areas of Yemen would not weaken the group or discourage its fighters.
The Huthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks on Israel since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023.
Israel has been striking Huthi targets for months in response to the rebels鈥� attacks, which they say are in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
A Yemeni security source said on Saturday that Huthi authorities had arrested dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas 鈥榦n suspicion of collaborating with Israel鈥�.
The Huthis鈥� leader said in his speech that 鈥榯he coming days will see additional success in thwarting the Israeli enemy鈥檚 attempts to commit crimes against our dear people or to target official institutions and cities鈥�.
Meanwhile, Israel鈥檚 military said it intercepted a drone launched from Yemen on Thursday, after sirens sounded in communities near the Gaza Strip.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the drone, but Yemen鈥檚 Iran-backed Huthi rebels have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since their Palestinian ally Hamas鈥檚 October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war.
鈥楩ollowing the hostile aircraft infiltration sirens that sounded a short while ago in the communities near the Gaza Strip, a UAV launched from Yemen was successfully intercepted by the (Israeli air force),鈥� a military statement said.
On Wednesday too, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. It was later claimed by the Huthi rebels.
The Huthis, who say they are acting in support of the Palestinians, paused their attacks during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza that ended in March, but renewed them after Israel resumed major operations.
Israel has carried out multiple retaliatory strikes in Yemen, targeting Huthi-held ports and the airport in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.
On Sunday, Israeli strikes in Sanaa killed 10 people and wounded more than 90, the spokesman of the Huthi-run health ministry, Anees Alasbahi, said.
The Israeli army said it had hit a military compound near the presidential palace, two power stations and a fuel depot 鈥榠n response鈥� to Huthi attacks.
