Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Ministry of Defense. Image Ronen Zvulun / AP
“No one will stop us, not the Hague, not the Axis of Evil, not anyone else,” Netanyahu said. With ‘The Hague’ he turned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which last week examined a complaint from South Africa accusing Israel of ‘genocide’ of the Palestinians. Netanyahu suggested that Israel will ignore the rulings of the International Court of Justice and continue to fight until “complete victory” over Hamas.
Planes from the United States and the United Kingdom struck dozens of targets in the Houthi region of western Yemen on Friday and Saturday. Air bases, radar installations and missile and drone launch facilities would have been hit. US President Joe Biden called the attacks “a clear message” to the Houthis to stop bombing ships in the Red Sea.
“Merciless Retaliation”
The Houthi leadership denied there was much damage and threatened “ruthless retaliation.” All British and American interests would now be a “legitimate target”, according to an announcement by Houthi leaders.
From the author
Michel Maas is foreign editor of the Volkskrant. Previously he was a war reporter and correspondent from Eastern Europe and South-East Asia.
Turkey was one of the most vocal critics of the attack. Turkish President Erdogan called the bombings “disproportionate” and accused the British above all of wanting to transform the Red Sea into a “sea of blood”. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron wrote in an editorial in the Sunday Telegraph that the British are “committed to putting an end” to attacks in the Red Sea and will again bomb Houthi targets in Yemen if attacks on merchant ships fail to do so. stop.
Cameron also said he viewed the Red Sea situation as “completely separate from the Israel-Gaza conflict”. However, Turkey, as well as Saudi Arabia and Oman, said they were “very concerned” that the bombing would further destabilize the region. Speaking to Sky News, Cameron admitted there were ‘red lights flashing everywhere’: ‘There has rarely been as much danger and instability in the world as there is now.’
US President Joe Biden has sent a “personal message” to Iran. He did not want to say anything about its contents. The United States hopes the message will help calm the situation. Iran itself does not participate in the war, but supports Israel’s opponents in the Gaza war. Iran supplies missiles and drones to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza, countries that Netanyahu calls the “Axis of Evil.”
Already almost 24 thousand dead in Gaza
Israel, meanwhile, continues to fight in Gaza. The death toll has risen to nearly 24,000 since October 7, the day armed Palestinians entered Israel, killing around 1,200 people. Israel immediately responded mercilessly, resulting in 85 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians being forced to flee their homes due to the violence.
There has since been a lull in the fighting in Gaza. At the end of November the fighting stopped for a moment and more than one hundred hostages were released, including 81 Israelis, in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Protest against Netanyahu
In Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday evening to demonstrate for 24 hours against the Netanyahu government, which allegedly abandoned the other hostages to their fate. They showed photos of the hostages and the text “Bring them home!” Now!’ According to protesters, Israel in Gaza has an eye only for the fight and not for the fate of its imprisoned compatriots. Numerous protesters called for new elections and Netanyahu’s resignation.
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2024-01-14 17:26:19
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