Israel vows to inflict biblical plagues on Yemen's Huthis

JERUSALEM - Israel's defence minister vowed Thursday to inflict the biblical 10 plagues of Egypt on Yemen's Huthi rebels after they stepped up their missile attacks against Israel.

"The Huthis are firing missiles at Israel again. A plague of darkness, a plague of the firstborn -- we will complete all 10 plagues," Israel Katz posted on X.

He was referring to the 10 disasters that the Book of Exodus says were inflicted on Egypt by the Hebrew God to convince the pharaoh to free the enslaved Israelites.

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli army said a missile fired from Yemen struck outside Israeli territory, a day after it intercepted two Huthi missiles.

The Huthis' military spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels had targeted Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport with a ballistic missile.

The Iran-backed Huthis have vowed to step up their attacks on Israel, after their prime minister and 11 other senior officials were killed in Israeli air strikes last week.

The Huthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks against Israel since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, saying the launches are in support of the Palestinians.

Israel has carried out several rounds of retaliatory strikes in Yemen, targeting ports, power stations and the international airport in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital.