SANAA: Yemen’s Houthi fired drones towards Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for its bombardment against Gazans, a senior official from the group said.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces... confirm they will continue to carry out qualitative strikes with missiles and drones until the Israeli aggression stops,” said a Houthi military statement aired on the Al-Masirah TV.

Abdelaziz bin Habtour, prime minister of the Houthi government, on Tuesday said the they were “part of the axis of resistance” against Israel, and were fighting with both “words and drones”.

“It is one axis and there is coordination taking place, a joint operations room, and a joint command for all these operations,” he said. “We cannot allow this arrogant Zionist enemy to kill our people”, he added.

Israel’s military earlier reported a “hostile aircraft intrusion” that set off warning sirens in the area of Eilat, a resort town on the Red Sea. “There is no threat in this region and no danger,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told a separate televised briefing.

On October 19, the US Navy said it shot down three land-attack cruise missiles and “several” drones that had been fired by the Houthis, possibly at Israel.

‘Remain silent’

Iran said on Tuesday it is “natural” that the resistance groups and movements “do not remain silent against all these crimes” committed by Israel.

The remarks were made by Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Qatar’s capital Doha where he met Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his Qatari counterpart to discuss a push for a diplomatic breakthrough.

“They will not wait for anyone’s advice, therefore we need to use the last political opportunities to stop the war,” Amir-Abdollahian said after talks with Sheikh Tamim, warning the situation could “get out of control”.

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said the pair had discussed “the dangerous escalation of confrontations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and the importance of advancing immediate ceasefire efforts”, in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We also stressed the need to intensify regional efforts to prevent the expansion of violence and conflict in the region,” he said.

Both Iran and Qatar have been fierce supporters of the Palestinian cause and have open channels of communication with Hamas.

Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported Amir-Abdollahian also met the Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh in Doha and “discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip”, before leaving Qatar for Turkiye.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2023