'Will behead…': Israel's ominous warning to ‘Houthi terrorist organisation’

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz admitted on Monday that his country killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July in Iran.

Updated on: Dec 24, 2024, 13:10:27 IST

By HT News Desk

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After admitting publicly for the first time to killing Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Israel on Monday warned "the Houthi terrorist organisation" that it would "behead their leaders".

This handout picture released by the Government Press Office (GPO) shows Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C-R) and defence minister Israel Katz (C-L). (AFP file photo)

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz admitted on Monday that his country killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July in Iran, further risking tensions with Tehran.

"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 defence 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 honouring defence ministry personnel.

Also read: Israel military says sirens sounded in several areas after projectile launched from Yemen

Iran-backed Houthis, who are based in Yemen, have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year to try to enforce a naval blockade on Israel. They attribute their acts to expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which is embroiled in a war with Israel.

Israel has been pounding Gaza since October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1200 people after storming Israeli cities. The country has also launched an offensive against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia in Lebanon.

In late July, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran in an assassination blamed on Israel by Iranian authorities. There was no direct claim of responsibility by Israel for the act.

Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, had been the face of Hamas' international diplomacy.

With inputs from Reuters

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