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Israel says strikes on Yemen serve to retaliate for earlier Houthi attacks

The country’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the Houthi rebels "the centerpiece of Iran's axis of evil"

TEL AVIV, December 27. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday struck military targets of Yemen's Houthis to retaliate for their attacks, the country’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"Israel has struck targets of the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen. These actions followed nonstop Houthi attacks against Israel since October 7 [in 2023], including missile strikes and drone launches last week," he said in a statement released by his office.

Saar called the Houthi rebels "the centerpiece of Iran's axis of evil." He said "devastating attacks" by the Houthis on international shipping lanes "undermine global stability."

"We will not tolerate unprovoked aggression by a terrorist army operating 2,000 kilometers away. Israel will take all military and diplomatic measures it deems necessary to protect its security," the minister stated.

Earlier on Thursday, the IDF said Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military sites on Yemen’s west coast and deeper inside the country.

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