Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Wednesday that Israel has struck military camps belonging to the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen. The Houthis claimed they managed to repel part of the assault.
Israel's attack comes after the Houthis said they fired a cluster bomb missile at Jerusalem on Tuesday night. The Israel Defense Forces said they intercepted the missile.
Katz declared that Israel will hit its enemies, and not allow them to find a safe haven anywhere. His comments came after condemnation from several countries of Israel's strike on Hamas leaders in Doha.
According to reports, Qatar is considering legal action against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the strike, and reserves the right to respond to Israel. A legal team has reportedly been tasked with exploring international charges.
Netanyahu suggested the strike targeted those responsible for Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. Netanyahu said Israel targeted the "terrorist chiefs who directed the murder of 1200 people, the beheading of men, the rape and murder of women, the burning of babies…innocent grandmothers, grandchildren and Holocaust survivors ... and who perpetrated the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust."
Meanwhile, the UAE has barred Israel from the Dubai Airshow, and the European Union is considering partially downgrading relations with Israel and placing sanctions on some Israeli ministers.
There is no consensus within the EU bloc, and Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa'ar, suggested the move would "send the wrong message," and would "strengthen Hamas," at a time when Israel is fighting terrorism on all fronts.
The UN Security Council is meeting Wednesday to discuss Israel's strike in Qatar. Ahead of the Council meeting, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said there will be no immunity for terrorists.
TRUMP: NOT SURPRISED BY ISRAELI STRIKE
President Donald Trump is also expected to give a full statement. Trump has indicated that he's not thrilled about the location of the strike in Qatar, which is America's ally. He also said he didn't receive advance notice of the strike from Israel. However, he added that he wasn't surprised by the strike, and that he directed his administration to inform the Qataris of the impending attack.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman addressed the question of potential coordination between the U.S. and Israel. Friedman told Newsmax "I don't want to speculate about the discussion, but I think the President was pretty clear that there would be serious consequences for Hamas if they didn't release the hostages, and obviously those were very serious consequences, so we'll leave it at that, but it seems to me that the countries were coordinated."
TRUMP: STRIKE ON HAMAS COULD BRING PEACE
In a post on Truth Social, Trump suggested he believes Israel's strike on Hamas' leaders could lead to the war's end. Trump said he spoke with Netanyahu after the strike, and that he believes the Israeli leader wants to make peace.
Israel has accepted Trump's new proposal for a hostage release and ceasefire deal, and Netanyahu said "If President Trump's proposal is accepted [by Hamas], the war can end immediately." According to a Saudi media report, Hamas operatives in Gaza have been instructed to dig in and prevent anyone from surrendering.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NEGOTIATES HOSTAGE RELEASE
Finally, Israeli-Russian hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was held by the Kataeb Hezbollah terror group in Iraq for almost 2.5 years, has been freed. Kataeb Hezbollah said Tsurkov was released to spare Iraq any fighting.
Tsurkov will return to Israel in the coming days and receive the same treatment in hospital as returned Hamas hostages. Tsurkov's family thanked Trump and U.S. envoy Adam Boehler for making it their "personal mission" to free her from captivity.
Jodie Cohen is a Middle East Correspondent, working with Newsmax since July 2023.
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