The Guardian: Israeli Security Council lawsuit indicates a “strategic decision” to launch a comprehensive attack on the Houthis in Yemen

The British newspaper, The Guardian, said that the recent Israeli statements regarding the Houthis in the UN Security Council appear to be part of a strategic decision to launch more decisive attacks on the group, a strategy that Israel hopes will be supported by the incoming Trump administration.

The newspaper published a report by diplomatic affairs editor Patrick Wint, in which he said, "Israel presented its case to the United Nations Security Council in order to launch a comprehensive attack on Houthi forces in Yemen."

The writer pointed out in the report, which was translated by "Yemeni Youth Net", that "Israel claimed that the Iranian-backed group now represents a well-armed terrorist army that threatens not only the regional economy but the entire global order."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called for the Houthis to be designated a foreign terrorist organization, a move that could make it harder for Iran to provide financial support without facing further economic sanctions, the newspaper reported.

Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations - who called for a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the recent escalation in Houthi attacks on Israel - said the Houthis were "nothing more than part of Iran's war against peace."

The group now has an annual budget of $1.2bn (£0.95bn) and has come dangerously close to choking off the Suez Canal with its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, he added.

"Millions of Israelis wake up every night to the sound of sirens across the country," Danon added, accusing the Houthis of launching 300 attacks on Israel this year.

“Let me make one thing absolutely clear: We are fed up. Israel will not stand idly by and wait for the world to react. We will defend our citizens,” he said, adding that the Houthis were no longer a regional threat, but a threat to the global order.

“To the Houthis, perhaps you haven’t paid attention to what happened in the Middle East over the past year,” Danon added. “Well, let me remind you of what happened to Hamas, Hezbollah, Assad, and everyone who tried to destroy us. This is your final warning. This is not a threat. It is a warning. You will face the same unfortunate fate.”

"Israel will defend its people. If 2,000 kilometers is not enough to keep our children away from terror, let me assure you it will not be enough to protect their terror from our power," Danon told reporters before the meeting.

While nearly all Security Council members at Monday's meeting condemned the Houthi attacks on Israel a week ago, many also condemned the Israeli threat to Yemeni civilians in the form of airstrikes on key power plants, an air traffic control tower at the capital's airport in Sanaa and ports vital for aid deliveries.

Nine Yemeni civilians were killed in the attacks, which Israel said were in response to what Danon described as "continued Houthi shelling of Israeli population centers."

Barbara Woodward, the British ambassador to the United Nations, affirmed Israel's right to self-defense, but also warned that Israel's action "must be consistent with its obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians."

Threat to assassinate Houthi leader

At the time of the race on Monday, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen threatened to assassinate Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

"I am sending a message to the Houthi leader: If he continues with his actions, he will end up just like (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar and (Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan) Nasrallah," Cohen told local radio station 94FM.

He added: "We worked according to a certain system and strategy in Gaza and Lebanon, and now, among other things, the focus is on Yemen and Iran itself, and it must be said that unless Iran is harmed, the instability in the Middle East will continue."

Source: The Guardian + Reuters + Anadolu Agency