Middle East live updates: Israel to act against Houthis in Yemen, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his nation would "act forcefully" against the Houthis in Yemen after a weekend missile attack on Tel Aviv injured 16 people, according to Israeli emergency authorities.

"Just as we acted forcefully against the terrorist arms of Iran's evil axis, so we will act against the Houthis -- the result will be the same," Netanyahu said in a statement posted to X.

Since October 2023, the Houthis have been launching attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, as well as long-range drone and missile attacks towards Israel.

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces said it intercepted a Houthi missile but that debris destroyed a school building in Tel Aviv.

The Houthis -- which have close ties with Iran and are part of the Tehran-led "Axis of Resistance" -- are demanding an end to Israel's war in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, infiltration attack into southern Israel.

The U.S. and U.K. -- supported by other allies -- have launched a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen since January. Israel has also launched significant strikes in Yemen in recent months, most recently on Thursday.

At least seven people were killed after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip.

The strike hit a collection of tents within what had been designated a humanitarian area, where displaced people were sheltering.

The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged the strike on Sunday, saying in a statement it was "an intelligence-based strike on a Hamas terrorist."

"Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence," the IDF said.

- ABC News' William Gretsky

The Gaza Ministry of Health said Saturday that 21 people were killed and 61 injured in three separate Israeli attacks over the last 24 hours in the Hamas-run territory.

A total of 45,227 people have been killed since the start of the war, health officials said.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces continued intense operations in northern Gaza, particularly around the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia.

The director of the hospital said there is shooting "around the clock" nearby, adding that on Friday the third floor and the hospital entrance were shelled.

The director said the IDF is blocking the entry of all requested medical supplies. Nine people need urgent evacuation for surgery in Gaza City and the hospital is currently treating over 70 people, he said.

-ABC News' Samy Zyara and Victoria Beaule