Houthi leader vows 'military response' to Israeli 'escalation'

Sanaa, Aug 2
Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi has warned that the group will "inevitably" mount a military response to Israel's recent "escalation".
"The stance of the 'axis of resistance' is unequivocal: There must be a military response to Israeli transgressions," al-Houthi said on Thursday in a televised address.

The Houthi leader condemned the killing of Hamas Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh as "a blatant violation of international norms", and "a brazen crime that underscores Israel's disregard for human rights", Xinhua news agency reported.

He further denounced Tuesday's Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut that killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Fouad Shokor, labelling it a "dangerous escalation."

The Houthi group, now controlling large swathes of northern Yemen, is aligned with the anti-Israel "axis of resistance," which also includes Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and militant groups in Iraq, among others.

Since November last year, the Houthi group has been targeting ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden using ballistic missiles and bomb-laden drones to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Haniyeh, who was in the Iranian capital of Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, was killed alongside his bodyguard early Wednesday when their residence was struck. Iran has accused Israel of carrying out the assassination, though Israel has not confirmed its involvement.