Defense Minister Yisroel Katz publicly acknowledged for the first time on Monday night that Israel carried out the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran during July.

That same evening, Katz took part in a special event for local security personnel to commend their remarkable courage and dedication in the war. In his speech, the minister warned Yemen’s Houthi rebels that persisting with their assaults on Israel would lead to consequences similar to those suffered by Hamas and Hezbollah.

“In these days, when the Houthi terror organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded the defense systems in Iran, and damaged their missile production systems. We have overthrown the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt heavy blows to the ‘axis of evil,’ and we will also severely strike the Houthi terror organization in Yemen, which is now the last one standing,” Katz said.

“We will strike [the Houthis’] strategic infrastructure and decapitate its leaders. Just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah, in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon, we will do in Hodeidah and Sanaa,” he added, referring to actions taken against the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah.

Before Katz made these remarks on Monday evening, Israel had not officially declared responsibility for taking out Haniyeh, the political head of Hamas, who was killed on July 31 in Tehran while attending the inauguration of Iran’s newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

{Matzav.com Israel}