JERUSALEM, Dec 23, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 
Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to retaliate against Yemen's Huthi rebels after 
they fired a missile at Tel Aviv, warning that Israel would target what he 
described as the last remaining arm of "Iran's axis of evil".

The Huthis struck Israel's commercial hub on Saturday with what they claimed 
was a ballistic missile, injuring 16 people and forcing many to leave their 
homes following the pre-dawn attack.

"As we acted with force against the terrorist arms of Iran's axis of evil, so 
we will act against the Huthis... with force, determination and 
sophistication," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Saturday's strike on Tel Aviv was the second such attack on Israel by the 
Huthis this week, and one of several since the war in Gaza broke out.

The Iranian-backed Huthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians 
as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza rages on.

The war began on October 7, 2023, following Hamas' deadly attack on Israel.

Netanyahu's latest comments came after the United States said it struck 
targets in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Saturday, hours after the 
Huthis hit Tel Aviv.

Among the targets was a Huthi missile storage centre and a "command-and-
control facility," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

US forces also shot down multiple Huthi drones and an anti-ship cruise 
missile over the Red Sea, it said.

However, two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea early Sunday in 
"an apparent case of friendly fire," the US military said.

The Huthis later claimed they had "targeted" the aircraft carrier USS Harry S 
Truman a day earlier in an operation that led to "shooting down an F-18 
aircraft".

- 'Not alone' against Huthis -

US and British forces have repeatedly struck rebel targets in Yemen in 
response to Huthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which 
are vital to global trade.

Israel has also previously struck the Huthis in Yemen, including hitting 
ports and energy facilities, after rebel attacks against its territory.

The latest Israeli strike against the Huthis was on Thursday, with Israeli 
warplanes striking Sanaa for the first time.

The Israeli response came soon after the rebels fired a missile that damaged 
an Israeli school.

On Sunday, Netanyahu acknowledged Washington's backing, saying that Israel 
was "not alone" in its fight against the Huthis.

"The US, as well as other countries, see the Huthis as a threat not only to 
international shipping - but to the international order", Netanyahu said in 
his video statement.

In a similar statement issued earlier this week, Netanyahu said the Huthis 
would "pay a very heavy price" for their attacks on Israel.

"After Hamas, Hezbollah and the (Bashar al-)Assad regime in Syria, the Huthis 
are almost the last arm of Iran's axis of evil," he said.

"They are finding out, and will find out, the hard way that whoever harms 
Israel -- will pay a very heavy price."

As well as Hamas, Israel has fought Iran-backed groups across the region 
since the start of the war in Gaza, including the Huthis in Yemen and a full-
blown war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Those campaigns have killed several leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, including 
the mastermind of the October 7 attack, Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, as well as 
Iranian commanders.

Israel also assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, while Sinwar's 
predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a brazen attack in Tehran, which 
Iran and Hamas have blamed on Israel.

Israel further shocked Hezbollah with attacks involving exploding pagers and 
walkie-talkies that killed dozens of its fighters and wounded thousands, 
according to Lebanese authorities.

In late November, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire, which has 
stopped the former's blistering bombing campaign inside Lebanon but Israeli 
troops are still operating in southern parts of the neighbouring country.