Netanyahu stresses after Yemen attack that “there is no place where Israel’s long arm cannot reach”

Jul 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday following the bombing of the Yemeni port of Hodeida by Israeli fighter jets that “there is no place that the long arm of the State of Israel cannot reach.”

“The port we attacked is not innocent. It was used for military purposes, as a gateway for deadly weapons delivered to the Houthis by Iran,” Netanyahu said at a press conference.

“They used these weapons to attack Israel, countries in the region and an important international shipping route. This action makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the State of Israel cannot reach,” he said.

This attack is also “in direct response to the attack in which one Israeli citizen was killed and other civilians were injured and to the Houthis’ attacks against Israel since the beginning of the war,” Netanyahu said.

In the same vein, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has warned that “the fire that is now burning in Hodeida can be seen throughout the Middle East.” “Its importance is clear,” he said.

“The Houthis have attacked us more than 200 times. The first time they have harmed an Israeli citizen, we have attacked them. And we will do so wherever necessary,” he warned.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the operation was named the Long Arm. “The message is that Israel will know how to act from afar,” he said.

Hagari stressed that “we have no intention of attacking the Yemeni people,” but pointed to “Houthi terrorism, controlled by Iran.” “We are prepared in all sectors. Protection is not airtight and we must act according to instructions. Our pilots have attacked the port of Hodeida, a supply route for the shipment of Iranian weapons,” he explained.

The Israeli military spokesman said that they had attacked “energy infrastructures.” “It was a complex attack that required preparation for different threats,” he stressed.