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Israel at war: Houthis release video of Israeli community 'attack'

In the video, Houthi militants enter a mock town, shooting at a poster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before taking two 'Israelis' captive | WATCH

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January 14, 2024 - 11:45AM
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An Iranian protester holds a Yemeni flag during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people and Yemeni rebels in Tehran. Picture: AFP.
An Iranian protester holds a Yemeni flag during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people and Yemeni rebels in Tehran. Picture: AFP.

Welcome to The Weekend Australian's rolling coverage of Israel's conflict with Hamas. 
 

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Houthis release video of 'attack' on Israel town

Staff writers
Staff writers

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have released a video simulating an attack on an Israeli community which appears to mimic the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel.



In the video, Houthi militants enter a mock town, shooting at a poster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before ripping it down and stamping on it.

In another 'house' two men dressed as ultra-Orthodox Jews cower before they're led to a jeep at gunpoint at driven away.

The 'community' is then blown up as the militants shouts 'Allahu akbar!'

The video is clearly a propaganda film and appears to have no other practical purpose: Yemen is 1,700 kilometres away from Israel, whereas the Hamas militants had to travel just a few kilometres from Gaza when they launched their attack.

The rebel militants have launched a series of drone and missile attacks at Israel since the start of its war with Hamas, but most have failed to reach their targets and many have been intercepted.

The US and UK strikes against the group have destroyed around a quarter of the terror group’s missile and drone-launching capabilities, according to the New York Times.

However the video is an indication of the depth of loathing the Houthis hold for Israel and their determination to destroy it.

Strikes 'destroyed quarter of Houthis missile launch capabilities'

Staff writers
Staff writers

US and UK strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen destroyed around a quarter of the terror group’s missile and drone-launching capabilities, according to the New York Times.

US officials told the newspaper 20 to 30 per cent of the Houthis' offensive capabilities were destroyed or damaged in the attacks, but many of their weapon platforms are mobile and can be moved around.

The officials also said it had been difficult to locate Houthi targets afters years in which the US and allied intelligence agencies did not make it a priority to gather such information.

Sunak: We can't afford not to attack Houthis

Anne Barrowclough
Anne Barrowclough


The British Prime Minister has said the UK 'Can't afford not to' launch strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, after the rebel group's attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Rishi Sunak told reporters the Red Sea attacks show the world was "becoming more challenging" and is "probably the most unstable it has been in decades."

"My job is to make sure the British people are safe. Can we afford to do these things? We cannot afford not to."

Britain's Foreign Secretary also suggested the UK could carry out more strikes on Houthi targets if the Red Sea attacks continued.

Writing in the UK Telegraph, David Cameron said Britain's “unambiguous” position is that “we will always defend the freedom of navigation. And, crucially, we will be prepared to back words with actions”.

Lord Cameron's remarks echo those of US President Joe Biden who said: “We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behaviour, along with our allies.”

Thousands march on pro-Palestine 'global day of action'

Agency writers
Agency writers


Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters marched in Washington, London and elsewhere on Saturday as part of a “global day of action” to demand an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza fighting and to oppose US and British support for Israel.

In Washington, large crowds waved Palestinian flags as the mostly young protesters — many wearing the traditional keffiyeh — gathered in a show of solidarity on the 99th day of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

“Cease-fire now,” people chanted, while carrying banners and posters that read “Free Palestine” and “End the War on Gaza.” On a stage a few blocks from the White House, several Palestinian-Americans — originally from Gaza, but now living in US states from Michigan to Texas — offered emotional accounts of friends and relatives killed or wounded in Gaza.
They exhorted US President Joe Biden to end military and financial support for Israel.

“President Biden can easily stop this madness” by pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, one speaker said to wide applause.

London, meantime, saw its seventh pro-Palestinian demonstration since October 7, when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel and killed around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless bombardment of Gaza that has killed at least 23,843 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the territory’s health ministry.

Around 1,700 police were on duty Saturday to ensure security for the London protest.

“We want to show the people of Palestine we are with them, and to speak up against our government as well,” 27-year-old health service worker Maleeha Ahmed, who was at the march with her family, told AFP.

“They are playing a very, very big role in allowing Israel to continue what they are doing and it’s just not acceptable,” she said.

Another marcher, Dipesh Kothar, 37, said it was “very frustrating to sit and watch the world do nothing.” “That’s why we come out to show support for the Palestinian people and show our unhappiness with the governments around the world,” he said.

Saturday’s marches held particular significance given US and British air strikes in Yemen this week against Huthi bases, after the Iran-backed militants attacked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza.

The day of action, called by a British organizing coalition, involved protests in 30 countries.

Kate Hudson of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which is part of the coalition, said the event was “to demand a permanent cease-fire and a lasting political settlement for all Palestinians.” She said the British government “must end its support for Israel’s brutal war in Gaza, and join the wider international community in condemning its war crimes.”

AFP

Edinburgh woman drives into pro-Palestine rally

Staff writers
Staff writers

A 70-year-old woman has been arrested in Edinburgh after her car drove into a pro-Palestinian rally on Saturday afternoon local time.



Police Scotland said the crash involved there had been reports of minor injuries, but no one needed medical attention.

Pictures posted on social media show a black Seat Leon surrounded by protesters and police officers in the city centre.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 2.30pm on Saturday, we were made aware of a road crash involving a car and a small number of pedestrians in Ramsay Lane, Edinburgh.

"Officers received reports of minor injuries from pedestrians, but no medical attention was required.

"A 70-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a driving offence.

"A report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal."

UK embassies on high alert for reprisals

Staff writers
Staff writers

An Iranian protester holds a Yemeni flag during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people and Yemeni rebels in Tehran. Picture: AFP,
An Iranian protester holds a Yemeni flag during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people and Yemeni rebels in Tehran. Picture: AFP,

British embassies in the Middle East have been put on high alert amid fears of reprisal attacks following the military strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, The Times of London reports, with the Foreign Office reportedly considering recalling diplomats.

The rebels have threatened a “strong and effective response” to the United States’ second round of strikes on Friday night, amid fears the strikes would spark wider conflict in the region.

The Houthis have claimed “all American-British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni armed forces”, while protesters were seen burning UK flags outside the British embassy in Tehran on Friday.

On Saturday, President Joe Biden said the US had delivered a message to Iran about the Houthis. “We delivered it privately and we’re confident we’re well prepared,” he told reporters at the White House.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to update MPs in parliament on Monday on the basis and legal justification for the strikes.

Senior UK sources said that while they did not expect further strikes on the Houthis imminently, they were braced for retaliatory attacks, which they expected could begin with the targeting of naval vessels. “All the embassies in the region are on an appropriately high alert,” one said.

Hamas network 'plotting terror attacks in Europe'

Staff writers
Staff writers


Israel intelligence agencies Mossad and Shin Bet have reportedly uncovered a Hamas terror plot to attack Israel's embassy in Sweden and other Jewish targets throughout Europe.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the network, led by Hamas commanders in Lebanon, had also been planning to buy drones and use European criminal organisations to support attacks on European soil.

In a statement, the PMO said Israel had discovered “details on theatres of operation, terror targets, and on those involved in carrying out attacks — from Hamas commanders in Lebanon to the last of the attackers in the operational infrastructure,” the Times of Israel reports.

The plot, reportedly led by Hamas commanders recently killed in Lebanon in airstrikes attributed to Israel, is the latest uncovered by European authorities in the past month.

Hamas cells in Denmark, Germany and Holland were arrested in December on suspicion of plotting to attack Jewish targets in Europe, The Times of Israel reports.

On Friday, Danish police said that seven people suspected of involvement in a planned terror attack foiled by authorities in December had links to Hamas.

Danish prosecutor Anders Larsson confirmed that the case “has links to Hamas”, Danish police told AFP.

Police had said on December 14 that they had arrested three people in Denmark suspected of planning a “terror” attack, but provided no other details.

Mr Netanyahu said at the time: “The Hamas terrorist organisation has been working relentlessly and exhaustively to expand its lethal operations to Europe, and thereby constitute a threat to the domestic security of these countries.”

Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said on Friday that the alleged connection to Hamas “confirms that the threat against Denmark is serious, but luckily we have a strong police and intelligence service doing their best to protect us every day.”

With AFP

Gaza war ‘staining humanity’ on eve of 100th day

Staff writers
Staff writers

The United Nations said on Saturday the Gaza war was “staining humanity” on the eve of its 100th day as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on vows to defeat Hamas.

The devastating conflict has unleashed a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and fears of a regional escalation intensified after US and British forces struck pro-Hamas Houthi rebels in Yemen on Friday following attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Visiting the Gaza Strip, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said “the massive death, destruction, displacement, hunger, loss and grief of the last 100 days are staining our shared humanity”.

An entire generation of children in Gaza were being “traumatised”, diseases were spreading and the clock is “ticking fast towards famine”, he warned.

– AFP

Macron calls for fresh talks to free Gaza hostages

Staff writers
Staff writers

France’s President Emmanuel Macron called Saturday for fresh talks for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The French nation is determined that… all the hostages of the October 7 terrorist attacks are freed,” he said in a video posted online and broadcast at a meeting in Tel Aviv in support of the hostages.

“France does not abandon its children,” he added. “That is why we have to resume negotiations again and again for their release.”

During its October 7 attack, Hamas seized about 250 hostages, 132 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza, including at least 25 believed to have been killed.

Three French citizens remain unaccounted for following the October 7 attack and are thought to be among the hostages held in Gaza.

On December 15, the Israeli army announced the death of Franco-Israeli Elya Toledano, who was captured and abducted while attending a desert rave party called the Supernova festival.

His friend, fellow French-Israeli Mia Shem, was among those released under a truce agreement at the end of November.

– AFP

Fresh strikes target Yemen rebels over Red Sea threat

Staff writers
Staff writers

Fresh strikes targeted Yemen’s Houthis on Saturday, security sources and the US military said, after the Iran-backed rebels warned of further attacks on Red Sea shipping.

The strikes came a day after US and British forces hit scores of targets across the country, heightening fears that Israel’s war with Palestinian Hamas militants could engulf the region.

Violence involving Iran-aligned groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria has surged since the war in Gaza began in early October.

The Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Gaza, have carried out a growing number of missile and drone attacks on what they deem Israeli-linked shipping on the key Red Sea trade route.

Around 12 percent of global trade normally passes through it, but since mid-November the attacks have prompted many shipping firms to take the longer route around the tip of Africa, disrupting supply chains and putting upward pressure on inflation.

The Houthi campaign followed Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel which sparked the war still raging in the besieged Gaza Strip.

US Central Command said its forces attacked a Houthi radar site early on Saturday as “a follow-on action” related to the previous day’s strikes.

Later on Saturday, a Houthi-allied military source told AFP that a site on the outskirts of the Red Sea port city of Hodeida which the rebels used to launch a rocket was hit.

A police source confirmed the latest strike, which a US defence official told AFP was not carried out by the United States.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/fresh-strikes-target-yemen-rebels-over-red-sea-threat/live-coverage/20686b05449e651c65c2151e51858067