UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – These strikes targeted “ports as well as energy infrastructure” in the capital Sanaa that the Houthis use to support their military operations
The Israeli army announced Thursday morning that it had struck “military targets” Houthi rebels from Yemen while the NGO Human Rights Watch accuses the Jewish state of genocide in Gaza. Le Figaro takes stock of the latest events linked to the conflicts in the Middle East.
Israel strikes Houthis in Yemen after intercepting missile
The Israeli army announced Thursday morning, December 19, that it had struck “military targets” Houthi rebels in Yemen after intercepting a missile fired from that country. “Israeli Air Force fighters…struck military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime on the west coast and hinterland of Yemen”the army said in a statement. The Houthi media Al-Massirah had earlier reported raids against two power plants, an oil infrastructure and the port of Hodeidah.
These strikes targeted “ports as well as energy infrastructure” of the capital Sanaa that the Houthis use to support their military operations, the army added, denouncing the Houthis’ repeated attacks against Israel using drones and surface-to-surface missiles. “It happened again last night. The Houthi terrorist regime fired a missile towards central Israel, forcing millions of civilians into shelters.described army spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
“Israel will not hesitate to act to defend itself and its citizens from Houthi attacks”he added. “Whoever lifts a hand against the State of Israel will have his hand cut off, whoever strikes will be struck seven times harder”added Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to whom the Israeli operation targeted “strategic infrastructure” houthies.
Israeli strikes in Yemen: Iran denounces a “flagrant violation of law”
Iran described Thursday as “blatant violation of international law” Israeli attacks on ports and energy infrastructure of the Houthis in Yemen in retaliation for a missile attack, announced the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy.
Israeli attacks constitute “a flagrant violation of the principles and norms of international law”declared the spokesperson, Esmaïl Baghaï, in a press release, while condemning “the unconditional support of the United States” brought to Israel.
HRW accuses Israel of “acts of genocide”
The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimates in a report published Thursday that Israel is committing “acts of genocide” by restricting the“access to water” for Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas more than a year ago.
“Israeli authorities deliberately created living conditions aimed at causing the destruction of part of the population of Gaza, by intentionally depriving Palestinian civilians in the enclave of adequate access to water, which likely resulted in caused thousands of deathswrites HRW in a press release accompanying its investigation. “In doing so, the Israeli authorities are responsible for the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide”adds the NGO.
Since the start of the war triggered on October 7, 2023 by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Israel has been accused on several occasions of committing genocide in Gaza, by various NGOs, or even before international justice, by several country at the initiative of South Africa.
Israel rejects HRW’s ‘blatant lies’
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the report by the NGO Human Rights Watch was “riddled with blatant lies”. “This report is riddled with blatant lies, even from HRW for whom the bar is already low”declared the ministry in a press release denouncing an “anti-Israeli propaganda”.
