Houthi supporters burn US and UK flags as they protest recent strikes. Photo: KHALED ABDULLAH/REUTERS
Israel's defense minister called on Britain to designate the Houthi rebels and their Iranian supporters as terrorist organizations.
Yoav Gallant said the international community should ban both the Yemeni rebels and the Guardian Corps Islamic revolution in Iran to stop support and funding.< /p>
“I think the international community should recognize the Houthis and the IRGC as terrorist organizations,” he told The Telegraph at a briefing. «Because that's what they are.»
This comes after the UK and US launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in response to attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who are trained and financed by the IRGC, the military wing of the Iranian regime, declared war on Israel after terrorist attacks on October 7.
Yesterday they published videos of exercises, including storming Israeli settlements, similar to Hamas. in Gaza. In the past, the Houthis have been accused of training child soldiers and using civilians as human shields against airstrikes.
Israel' Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (center) talks with reservist soldiers on the Lebanese border. Photo: ARIEL HERMONI/DEFENSE MINISTRY
Mr Gallant, a prominent figure in Israel's controversial war in the Gaza Strip, also told The Telegraph patience was running thin with Iran, which backs a number of anti-Western proxies in the Middle East, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
He warned that Iran is using its proxies to distract Israel and the world from its core mission of developing nuclear weapons.
“All these attacks, from the Houthis to Hezbollah and militias in Iraq and Syria; They are second priority. Iran's first priority is to develop nuclear weapons. Of course, we won't let them do this. They are the head of the octopus, and the international community must confront the Iranian threat,” he said.
The UK and US have launched attacks against Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to more than 29 attacks on shipping. in the Red Sea. Gallant said Israel could soon launch its own attacks.
“The Houthis have fired more than 110 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles at civilian areas of Eilat in southern Israel. Our missile defense systems, such as Arrow, have thwarted threats so far, but we reserve the right to do what needs to be done with the Houthis when the time comes,” he said.
Mr Gallant denied that Israeli forces were winding down operations inside the Gaza Strip, despite an IDF spokesman telling US media that the war had entered a new phase.
“We have destroyed 17 of the 24 Hamas battalions throughout territory of Gaza,» he said. revealed.
“I wouldn't say we're in a low intensity phase — we're still hitting them hard. Our tactics in northern Gaza are changing. And our goal is simple; destroy Hamas and make sure they can no longer threaten us. It will take time, but we will get there.”
Houthi fighters stand on US and Israeli flags while flying drones during military exercises near the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK
It comes as White House officials are reportedly losing patience with Israel amid rising civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
US officials have informed the media of «huge disappointment» in the Biden administration as Israel repeatedly ignores US requests to take action. caution in Gaza
“At every turn, Netanyahu gave Biden the finger,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who has been in close contact with U.S. officials on the war, told Axios. «They beg Netanyahu's coalition, but they get slapped over and over again.»
In a speech marking 100 days of war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening: «No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil, nor anyone else.”
< p>He was referring in part to the UN court hearings in which Israel was accused of genocide in the Gaza Strip. Israel categorically denies this.
Mr Gallant said troops in the Gaza Strip would not stop until they found Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar, who is believed to be in the Khan Yunis tunnel system where Israeli The soldiers are now concentrating their energy.
“We will reach Yahya Sinwar. It’s just a matter of time,” he said. “And we will continue to reach Hamas leaders wherever they are.”
Mr. Sinwar is believed to have surrounded himself with some of the remaining Israeli hostages to create a “human shield.”
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Israel has already killed a number of senior Hamas commanders, including the terrorist group's deputy political leader Saleh Arouri, in an airstrike in Beirut.
Benjamin Netanyahu's government is under growing public pressure to release the 136 remaining hostages.
«We strike Hezbollah and Hamas wherever they are, be it Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and other arenas,» he insisted.
The Israeli government is under growing public pressure to release the 136 remaining hostages. The rallies have become increasingly frequent and large, drawing more than 100,000 people on Saturday, with some calling for elections to replace Mr. Netanyahu.
The government insists that only increased military pressure on Hamas will release the hostages, an argument many families disagree with.
«We are doing everything to get the hostages back. The hostages are our top priority,» insisted Gallant.
On Israel's northern border, Hezbollah has stepped up its daily attacks. A 76-year-old Israeli woman and her son were killed when anti-tank missiles hit their home in Kfar Yuval on Sunday. Five more civilians and nine soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah since the terror group began its attacks on October 8.
About 80,000 Israeli civilians have been evacuated from their homes along the border, causing enormous frustration and anger among internally displaced persons. But Gallant says he has a message for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah: “Israel is ready for both a diplomatic and a military option. We will enable our citizens — the 80,000 people living as refugees in their country — to return safely to the northern border.»
The Defense Minister previously threatened Hezbollah to send Lebanon back to the stone age if it continues . his daily attacks. So far, US diplomatic efforts to reduce the conflict have been unsuccessful.
Although neither the US nor Iran appears interested in a full-scale regional war, the blood spilled between Israel and Hezbollah could have a major impact on the situation. will most likely force them to do just that.
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