53 Dead in Houthi Attack... Iran Weighs Counterstrikes

[Anchor]

An Iran-backed Houthi rebel missile strike on a government military base has resulted in nearly 300 casualties. As a sense of crisis mounts across the Middle East, the United States and Israel are weighing the resumption of military operations against Iran.

Washington correspondent Lee Hanseok reports.

[Reporter]

Casualties lie scattered around the wreckage of severely destroyed military barracks.

On the 19th local time, ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen precisely struck a government forces base in southern Yemen.

At least 53 people, including new recruits, were killed and some 200 others were injured.

This marks the largest bloodshed since the Houthis declared an end to the ceasefire last July.

The Houthi rebels claimed they also carried out massive retaliatory strikes on six locations across the mainland of Saudi Arabia.

Targets included the Aramco oil facilities at the Port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, King Khalid Airport in the capital Riyadh, and major air bases.

[Yahya Saree / Houthi Military Spokesperson: In the first operation, we struck the Aramco facilities in Yanbu in two waves. They hit precisely, causing massive fires at the target locations.]

Suffering massive blows from the ongoing Houthi attacks, Saudi Arabia ultimately postponed its premier investment event, the Future Investment Initiative, often dubbed the "Davos in the Desert," to next year.

As the fallout from the Iran war expands across the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video of his phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, who openly expressed support for him.

[Benjamin Netanyahu / Israeli Prime Minister: Donald, we have unfinished business. As you said, we're going to finish it together.]

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: You are a great warrior. We are going to prove it.]

Reports also emerged that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a surprise, unannounced visit to Israel on the 19th local time and met with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Foreign media outlets reported that the two countries are actively discussing concrete plans to resume large-scale military operations against Iran.

Citing multiple senior Iranian officials, the Financial Times reported that in response to U.S. pressure, Iran could resort to an ultra-hardline move: withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and officially declaring its nuclear weaponization.

(Video taken by Oh Jung-shik | Video edited by Jung Sung-hoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.