1 month ago
53
December 24, 2024 | 12:26 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted on Monday for the first time publicly to Israel's killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July, further risking tensions between Tehran and its arch-enemy Israel in a region shaken by Israel's war in Gaza and the conflict in Lebanon.
"These days, when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran's defense systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which remains the last to stand," Katz said.
Israel will "damage their strategic infrastructure, and we will behead their leaders – just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon – we will do it in Hodeidah and Sana'a," Katz said during an evening honoring defense ministry personnel.
The Iran-backed group in Yemen has been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year to try to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel's year-long war in Gaza.
In late July, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas was killed in Tehran in an assassination blamed on Israel by Iranian authorities. There was no direct claim of responsibility by Israel for the killing of Haniyeh at the time.
Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, had been the face of Hamas' international diplomacy as the war set off by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 has raged in Gaza. He had been taking part in internationally brokered indirect talks on reaching a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.
Months after, Israeli forces in Gaza killed Yahya Sinwar, Haniyeh's successor and the mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
REUTERS
Editor’s Choice: UNRWA: Israel Has Broken All Rules of War in Gaza
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
UNRWA: Israel Has Broken All Rules of War in Gaza
13 jam lalu
The UNRWA chief said Israel has violated all the rules of war in the Gaza Strip.
After Philippines and Australia, Iran Files Request for Prisoner Transfer from Indonesia
1 hari lalu
The Iranian govt had sent a letter to Indonesia requesting for a prisoner transfer. More than 50 Iranian citizens have been sentenced in Indonesia.
US Responds to Houthi Missiles at Israel, Warplanes Pound Yemeni Capital
1 hari lalu
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has claimed responsibility in a statement for an airstrike on the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, on Saturday night.
Houthis Fire Missiles at Tel Aviv, Israeli Military Caught Off Guard
1 hari lalu
A hypersonic missile attack by Yemen's Houthi group has hit an unidentified military target in Israel.
Israeli Airstrikes Kill at Least 25 Palestinians in Gaza, Medics Say
3 hari lalu
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 Palestinians in the Gaza strip on Friday, medics said.
Israel's Deprivation of Water in Gaza is Act of Genocide: Human Rights Watch
3 hari lalu
Human Rights Watch said on Thursday, December 19, 2024, that Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza by denying them clean water.
Today's Top 3 News: News of Ransomware Attack, BRI Claims Customers Can Still Transact Safely
4 hari lalu
Tempo English compiled the top 3 news on Thursday, December 19, 2024.
UN Peacekeepers Remove Israel's Flags in Golan Heights Buffer Zone in Syria
5 hari lalu
The UN reaffirmed the Israeli army's continued presence along the Golan Heights buffer zone in Syria.
Palestinian Families Sue U.S. State Department Over Support for Israeli Military
5 hari lalu
The U.S. faces criticism from human rights groups for maintaining its support for Israel with no major policy changes.
Netanyahu's Coalition in Danger of Breaking Up, Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich Bicker
5 hari lalu
Israeli lawmakers narrowly approved the state budget despite revolt from one of Netanyahu's coalition partners demanding he fire the attorney general.
