Yemen’s Houthis claim hitting ‘vital target’ in Israel with drones
Yemen's Houthi group said they launched a bomb-laden drone attack on Israel's southern port city of Eilat, hitting a "vital target."
As Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) continue to fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip, politics back home over the October 7 attack has intensified after it was suggested that there were prior intelligence but Israeli government chose to ignore it as it was of the opinion that the Palestinian militant group has given up on armed conflict and wanted to come to a settlement.
Earlier Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a social media post, claimed that he was never made aware of Hamas’ war intentions and stressed that “all the security services, including the head of military intelligence and the head of the Shin Bet, were of the opinion that Hamas was deterred and wanted to come to a settlement”.
However, he retracted his statement publicly questioning the bosses of Israeli military and intelligence agencies at the time of war and apologized, saying the thing he said should not have been said.
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“I was wrong. The things I said following the press conference should not have been said and I apologize for that,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X, shortly after deleting his original statement.
The Israeli prime minister further said that he fully backs all the heads of the security services and sent “strength” to IDF chief and soldiers who are fighting an intense battle with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“I give full backing to all the heads of the security services. I am sending strength to the [IDF] chief of staff and the commanders and soldiers of the IDF who are on the frontlines and fighting for our home,” the Israeli prime minister said.
When Israeli military was asked about PM Netanyahu’s earlier remarks, IDF spokesperson Denial Hagari said he will not react on this as their focus is on the ongoing war.
More than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 225 were kidnapped after a surprise attack by tens of hundreds Hamas militants on October 7.
The attack, the deadliest in the 75 years of Israel’s history, caught the country’s security forces an prepared as militants rampaged through Israeli communities for several hours.
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