Israel's UN ambassador issued what he described as a final warning to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Monday, cautioning that they could face severe consequences similar to other regional actors if they continue their missile attacks against Israel, according to Reuters.
Ambassador Danny Danon, addressing the UN Security Council, emphasized Israel's capacity to strike any target in the Middle East, including Iran. However, within hours of his warning, the IDF intercepted a missile fired from Yemen over Israeli territory, triggering warning sirens across the country.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, announced on Tuesday that the group had targeted Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv and a power station south of Jerusalem using hypersonic and Zulfiqar ballistic missiles. Following the Israeli military's announcement of the interception, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, who heads the Houthis' supreme revolutionary committee, declared their attacks would continue, stating on X: "The pounding of the entity [Israel] continues and the support to Gaza continues."
"To the Houthis, perhaps you have not been paying attention to what has happened to the Middle East over the past year," Danon said during the Security Council session. "Well, allow me to remind you what has happened to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to Assad, to all those who have attempted to destroy us. Let this be your final warning. This is not a threat. It is a promise. You will share the same miserable fate."
Before the meeting, Danon told reporters: "Israel will defend its people. If 2,000 kilometers is not enough to separate our children from the terror, let me assure you, it will not be enough to protect their terror from our strengths."
The Houthis have repeatedly launched drones and missiles toward Israel, describing these actions as demonstrations of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Assistant UN Secretary-General for the Middle East Khaled Khiari expressed serious concern about the escalating violence during the Security Council meeting, urging the Houthis to cease their attacks on Israel and calling for respect of international and humanitarian law. "Further military escalation could jeopardize regional stability with adverse political, security, economic, and humanitarian repercussions," Khiari warned.
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, while condemning the Houthi missile attacks, criticized Israel's retaliatory strikes on Yemen and actions by what he termed the "Anglo-Saxon coalition" of US and British warships in the Red Sea, describing them as "clearly not proportional."
