Israel 'at war with Iran's axis of evil' as Houthi missile evades air defenses - Netanyahu

In Sunday's cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is "at war with Iran's axis of evil" as Yemen's Houthis evaded the country's air defense systems.

"We are in a multi-front campaign against Iran's axis of evil, which is striving for our destruction," he said.

"This morning, the Houthis launched a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen at our territory. They should know that we exact a high price for any attempt to attack us."

Vowing a strong response, he pointed to the country's recent strikes against the Iran-backed terror group.

"Whoever needs a reminder of this, is invited to visit the port of Hodeidah," he said, referring to a retaliatory attack for a drone which hit a civilian building in Tel Aviv in July. The strike hit infrastructure such as electrical installations and an oil depot.

Netanyahu warned: "Whoever attacks us will not evade our strike." Pointing to the war in Gaza where Israel has been fighting Iran-backed Hamas after the deadly invasion of October 7, he added: "Hamas is already learning this through our determined action, which will bring about its destruction and the release of all of our hostages."

A protester holds a mobile phone with a Palestinian flag and a photo of the spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas, Abu Ubaida, during a rally held by protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen August 30, 2024.

In Israel's north, 60,000 civilians have been displaced since the Gaza war began, Iran's biggest proxy Hezbollah firing over 6,000 projectiles towards Israel in allegiance with Hamas in Gaza.

Iran's proxies in Syria and Iraq have also been involved in attempted attacks against Israel, including a direct attack from Iran in April, the first of its kind from Tehran.

Nasruddin Amer, the deputy head of the Houthi's media office, said in a post on X on Sunday that there had been "a qualitative shift in targeting Israel with hypersonic missiles".

He wrote: "This missile is characterized by its super-speed, which exceeds the speed of sound by several times, making it able to easily bypass traditional defense systems, including air defense systems such as the Patriot."

Sunday's missile had crossed a distance of 2040 km in 11 and a half minutes, he said. Nobody was injured in the attack, according to the Israeli military, though shrapnel caused damage to a train station in Modiin, central Israel.

Through their Telegram channel, the group said its military spokesman would soon give details about a "qualitative operation that targeted the depth of the Zionist entity”.

It comes as the Iran-backed terror group continue the Red Sea region blockade, launched in November on the instruction of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

Initially intended to attack and hijack Israeli-linked vessels in a bid to force a ceasefire in Gaza, it has since expanded to target global shipping on the trade route with direct strikes on Yemen from the US and UK as a result.

Dozens of hostages from across the world have been taken and missiles launched at multiple international vessels.