Netanyahu Headed to Washington as Israelis Strike Houthi Targets in Yemen

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is en route to Washington for a meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday, and to address a joint session of Congress Wednesday.

His journey to a city filled with political uncertainty began as Israel fights a seven-front war of survival. 

The prime minister explained one of his chief goals for the visit.

During airport remarks in Tel Aviv, he stated, “I will seek to anchor the bipartisan support that is so important for Israel, and will tell my friends on both sides of the aisle that regardless of who the American people choose as their next president, Israel remains America's indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East.” … “In this time of war and uncertainty, it's important that Israel's enemies know that America and Israel stand together today, tomorrow, and always.”

CBN News Middle East analyst John Waage believes that even with President Biden dropping out of the presidential race, it's a key meeting for the prime minister.

"The meeting with Joe Biden is important for Netanyahu because he's trying to prosecute the war and keep the materials flowing, and keep a stamp approval on where he's going with it," Waage explained.

In an expansion of the war front Saturday, Israel attacked a major port in Yemen after the Iranian-backed Houthis fired a drone Friday into the heart of Tel Aviv.

Israel's military response, nicknamed Operation Outstretched Arm, destroyed a key fuel depot and a strategic port used by Iran to resupply the Houthis.

Another view of massive fire at fuel depot in Al Hudaydah, Yemen, following Israeli retaliatory airstrikes; multiple casualties reported.

pic.twitter.com/6F8DAuqqFe

— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) July 20, 2024

The Israel Defense Forces also made a point of noting that the distance from Israel to Yemen is greater than the distance from Israel to Iran, sending a message that Iran's nuclear facilities are within its range.

Iran, the Houthis, and Hezbollah in Lebanon all promised retaliations after the strike.

Netanyahu said it was time to respond after the Houthis launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones against Israel, affecting one of the world's most important waterways. 

“For more than half a year, the Houthis have not only attacked Israel, they have also targeted the ships of dozens of countries traversing the Bab-el-Mandeb straights," Netanyahu recalled. "This is a maritime corridor through which some 30 percent of the world’s maritime commerce flows. ‏The international community must redouble its efforts to protect this vital waterway and to hold both the Houthis and their Iranian sponsors accountable for their aggression.” 

He continued, “In defending ourselves against this Iranian terror axis, Israel stands on the front lines against a regime that threatens the entire Middle East, that threatens the entire world.” 

On Sunday, after more than a week of intelligence gathering in Gaza, the IDF confirmed the death of Muhammad Deif, the second-highest-ranking Hamas leader in Gaza. Israel bombed Deif and his top aide in Khan Younis after weeks of surveillance. The killing represents a major blow to Hamas since Deif masterminded the October 7th massacre and built Hamas into a military force.

Some experts say Deif's death is an even bigger blow to Hamas than that of the elusive top Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar. 

On the legal front, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled Friday that Israel's presence in the West Bank – biblical Judea and Samaria – is illegal.

The non-binding ruling states that Israel has occupied Palestinian territory since 1967 and is obligated to end its presence in the territory "as rapidly as possible."

The court also demanded Israel provide reparations for any damage caused by its wrongful acts.

Netanyahu, several cabinet members, and leaders in Judea and Samaria denounced the ruling. Some said Israel should respond by immediately annexing the biblical heartland.

The prime minister said of the ruling, “The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land – not in our eternal capital, Jerusalem, not in the land of our ancestors in Judea and Samaria." He added, "No false decision in The Hague will distort this historical truth, just as the legality of Israeli settlement in all the territories of our homeland cannot be contested."

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