Israel’s defence minister on Thursday threatened to inflict the biblical “10 plagues of Egypt” on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, after they intensified missile strikes against Israeli targets.
“The Huthis are firing missiles at Israel again. A plague of darkness, a plague of the firstborn — we will complete all 10 plagues (sic),” Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, in a post invoking the disasters described in the Book of Exodus, where the Hebrew God brought a series of calamities upon Egypt to secure the release of the enslaved Israelites.
The warning came hours after the Israeli army said a missile launched from Yemen had landed outside Israel’s territory. The military had intercepted two Houthi missiles a day earlier.
Meanwhile, the Houthis’ military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the rebels had fired a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, have stepped up their attacks since an Israeli airstrike last week killed their prime minister and 11 other senior officials.
Since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, the Houthis have launched waves of drone and missile strikes against Israel, saying their campaign is in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel has responded with a series of retaliatory raids in Yemen, hitting ports, power facilities and Sanaa’s international airport, all under rebel control.
Israel vs Houthis
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis recently stepped up attacks and missile launches, in what they have called an initial response to Israeli attacks on Yemen.
The Houthis have been launching missiles and drones thousands of kilometres north towards Israel, describing them as acts of solidarity with Palestinians.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones launched have been intercepted or fallen short of targets.
Israel has retaliated by bombing Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital port of Hodeidah. Its latest blow killed senior Houthi officials, including the head of the government.
The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have also been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
