Houthi leader promises retaliation after Israel's Hodeidah strike 

Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, warned on Thursday that a response to the recent Israeli air strikes near Yemen’s Al Hudaydah port is imminent.

This warning came in the wake of a UAV attack launched by the Houthis on Tel Aviv last week, which resulted in the death of one person and injuries to ten others. Following this attack, the Israeli Air Force retaliated by targeting 12 Houthi military sites near Al Hudaydah Port.

Al-Houthi declared, “The response is inevitable,” and stated that the Israeli strikes will only intensify the group's determination for revenge. He emphasized that the Houthis’ attacks in solidarity with Gaza would not be deterred by Israeli actions.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have significantly increased their regional assaults since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, including drone strikes on southern Israel and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea. In response to the escalating threat, the United States has assembled an international coalition of over 20 countries aimed at protecting commercial traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.

* Arutz 7 contributed to this report