Total escalation: They will start targeting civilian aircrafts

Houthi sources told the Lebanese newspaper "Al Akhbar" that "the upcoming operations will differ in scope and substance from previous operations" against Israel, and that the Iran-backed militant group "will add civilian aircraft belonging to the Israeli entity to the list of targets", The Times of Israel reported today.

The threat came after Israeli warplanes bombed the Houthi-controlled Sana'a International Airport earlier this week, following weeks of near-daily Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the plane targeted was the last remaining plane operated by the Houthis, after six other aircraft were destroyed in an earlier attack.

The Houthis claimed at the time that the targeted aircraft was being used to conduct medical evacuations to Jordan.

It is not clear whether the Iran-backed group has the necessary weapons to carry out its threat, but earlier this month a Houthi spokesman confirmed to Newsweek that the group had received "new weapons" capable of carrying out an "air blockade" of Israel.

Many foreign airlines suspended their flights to Israel in early May after a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis hit Ben Gurion International Airport, leaving most Israelis dependent on national carrier El Al.