Benny Gantz, who leads the National Unity party, urged the government to directly confront Iran in response to the latest Houthi offensives in Yemen, an organization broadly seen as one of Iran’s proxy forces.

“The solution to putting an end to the attacks lies in Tehran,” Gantz said at the weekly National Unity faction meeting Monday afternoon. “We today have the opportunity to catalyze a ‘strategic flip’ against Iran and its proxies. We must capitalize on the opportunity. It would be a strategic mistake of historic proportions not to.”

He stressed that Israel “must target Iran directly” rather than simply responding to the Houthis.

Turning his focus to the conflict with the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza, Gantz stated, “Israel must bring the hostages home, and the nations of the region together with the United States must work together with Israel to remove the threat of a nuclear Iranian regime.”

“We must use this time to do what Netanyahu has refused to do for over a year — replace the Hamas government,” he continued, accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu’s administration of allowing Hamas to retain control of Gaza.

“The State of Israel has not made a real decision to replace Hamas. It is not working with our friends in the world to establish an administration to run the Gaza Strip as I proposed a year ago. Such plans exist in the defense establishment, but this is something that can only be led by a determined political echelon, one that is not bound by messianic dreams and coalition needs,” he said.

Gantz’s remarks align with recent statements by Mossad chief David Barnea, calling for an attack on Iran rather than focusing on the Houthis and to “go after the head.”

On Shabbos morning, a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis exploded in Jaffa, leaving 16 individuals injured.

Last Wednesday night, parts of a Houthi ballistic missile that had been intercepted landed at a school in Ramat Ef’al, a neighborhood in Ramat Gan, causing extensive destruction to the facility and multiple vehicles.

Earlier on Monday, the Israel Air Force intercepted a UAV launched from Yemen as it headed toward Israeli territory.

The drone was brought down before entering Israeli airspace, and per protocol, no warning sirens were sounded.

{Matzav.com Israel}