Israel Takes Its Battle Into Yemen, Hitting Houthis

Israel pressed its strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday, while broadening its battle to include Houthi fighters—also backed by Iran—in Yemen. The Israeli military said the attack on infrastructure and fighters in the city of Hodeidah was in retaliation for recent Houthi missiles launched at Israel, the New York Times reports. "This is not a message, it is an action—an action that carries a message with it," said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. Hezbollah confirmed that an earlier Israeli strike had killed Nabil Kaouk, a high-ranking official in the militant group. Other developments include:

• New strikes: Israeli warplanes and drones carried out attacks across Lebanon on Sunday, per the AP. Back-to-back strikes near the southern city of Sidon killed at least 32 people, the Lebanese health ministry said. Attacks in the northern province of Baalbek Hermel reportedly killed 21 people and injured at least 47.
• Cabinet addition: Right-wing Israeli politician Gideon Saar, who left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet in March, announced Sunday night that he's rejoining the government. The longtime critic and sometimes opponent of Netanyahu said his return is "the patriotic thing to do now." The move is a help to the prime minister politically, per the Washington Post. Saar had pressed for the military to take more aggressive action in Gaza against Hamas.
• US reaction: White House national security spokesman John Kirby told CNN that the Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon "wiped out" the command structure of Hezbollah. He said the militant group will move quickly to rebuild it, and Israel said it's still targeting the leaders.
• Biden-Netanyahu talk: Asked in Delaware by reporters if an all-out war in the Middle East can still be avoided, President Biden answered, "It has to be." He added that he plans to speak with Netanyahu.

(More Hezbollah stories.)