An Israeli TV channel reported on Sunday that, despite Israeli Air Force strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, the occupation state is facing a “big” enemy. The movement is “strong and should not be underestimated,” added Channel 14.

The channel said on its website that the Yemeni front was not what Israel had in mind in recent years, but it is forced to deal with it at the present time, despite Tel Aviv admitting its lack of intelligence information.

On Saturday, the Houthis — also known as Ansar Allah — announced that their troops had downed an American MQ9 drone while it was in the airspace of Al-Bayda Governorate, south east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

According to Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the US drone was the thirteenth that Yemen’s air defences have shot down as part of the movement’s struggle in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This came hours after the group announced that it bombed Israel’s Nevatim Air Base in the Negev with a hypersonic ballistic missile. “We will continue operations against Israel until its aggression on the Gaza Strip stops,” said Saree.

The [IOF] announced yesterday that air raid sirens sounded in several areas across the country after a missile was fired from Yemen.

Earlier, Israeli fighter jets bombed Sanaa International Airport and Al-Dulaimi Air Base north of the capital, as well as a power plant south of Sanaa and facilities in Al-Hodeidah Governorate in the west. The raids killed six Yemenis and injured 40 others.

In response, the Houthis fired a hypersonic missile at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, and drones at targets in the city. They also attacked a ship sailing towards an Israeli port in the Arabian Sea.

The Houthis confirm periodically that the movement is part of the axis of resistance that includes Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Palestinian factions, expressing its willingness to participate in the fighting alongside them.