Israeli Air Force Chief Tomer Bar vowed Wednesday to escalate airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen amid rising escalation over Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.  

“We operate with significant force wherever we are required,” the public broadcaster KAN quoted Bar as saying during a pilot graduation ceremony. 

“We have struck the Houthis in Yemen three times, and we will continue and increase the frequency and intensity of these strikes as needed,” he added.  

The Israeli army has so far carried out three waves of aerial strikes on vital facilities in Houthi-held areas in Yemen.  

Israeli media said that a fourth aerial attack against the Houthis is being planned.  

Nine Israelis were hurt early Wednesday while running for shelter after rocket fire by the Houthis. The army said the projectile was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.  

The attack came after 20 people were injured in Jaffa in central Israel on Saturday after air defense failed to intercept a missile fired by the Houthis.  

The Yemeni group says that its attacks are in retaliation for Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 45,400 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.