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Biden makes bizarre call in to Harris headquarters hours after dropping out of race

President Biden on Monday made his first public comment since announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race a day earlier during a call into the headquarters of Vice President Harris, who he endorsed following his announcement. 

Speaking to campaign staffers in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris acknowledged that the past day had ‘been a roller coaster’ after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race. Biden addressed his sudden departure from the race just weeks before the Democratic National Convention. 

‘I know yesterday’s news is surprising, and it’s hard for you to hear, but it was the right thing to do,’ he said. ‘I know it’s hard because you have poured your heart and soul into me to help us win this thing, help me get this nomination, help me win the nomination and then go on to win the presidency.’

Biden noted that he planned to be ‘fully engaged’ and would be campaigning for Harris.

‘I’m going to be working like hell, both as a sitting president, getting legislation passed as well as campaigning,’ he said. 

During her opening remarks, Harris acknowledged the severity of Biden’s exit but had only kind words for the commander in chief. 

‘We’re all filled with so many mixed emotions about this,’ Harris said. ‘I just have to say, I love Joe Biden, I love Joe Biden, and I know we all do when we have so many darn good reasons for loving Joe Biden.’

Democratic Party delegates are expected to hold a virtual roll call soon, with Harris favored to become the nominee. 

Biden had been besieged by calls from within his own party to step aside amid concerns about his ability to beat former President Trump in the November general election. On Monday, he thanked Harris and wished her luck. 

‘I’m watching kid,’ he said. ‘I’m watching you kid. I love you.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Netanyahu’s meeting at White House moved amid Biden’s COVID recovery, Harris campaigning

President Biden will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, after Israeli officials were confused if the two leaders would meet at all.

Axios journalist Barak Ravid originally reported on X that Netanyahu’s team was unsure if their meeting with Biden – which was slated for Tuesday – would take place. An Israeli official told Ravid that Netanyahu, who is visiting Washington, D.C., this week, is still ‘waiting for an answer’ from the White House.

On Monday night, a U.S. official told Fox News that the meeting was set for Thursday. Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. a little more than 24 hours after Biden announced that he was dropping out of the 2024 race, signaling a time of turmoil for the Democratic Party.

Netanyahu’s arrival also comes days after Biden announced that he was diagnosed with COVID-19.  As of Monday afternoon, the president is still isolated in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, though he is said to be recovering.

In a letter released on Monday, Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, wrote that the president ‘completed his tenth dose of PAXLOVID this morning.’

‘His symptoms have almost resolved completely,’ the doctor wrote. ‘His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal. His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air [sic]. His lungs remain clear.’

‘The President continues to perform all of his presidential duties,’ O’Connor added.

Shelley Greenspan, who is the White House Liaison to the American Jewish community, wrote on X that Vice President Kamala Harris will also speak with Netanyahu at some point this week. Biden endorsed Harris in the 2024 presidential race shortly after dropping out.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu will give a speech in front of Congress, though Harris reportedly declined to presume over the address, according to the Washington Post. Before departing Israel for D.C., Netanyahu told reporters that his country would stand by the U.S. ‘regardless [of] who the American people choose as their next president.’

‘In this time of war and uncertainty, it’s important that Israel’s enemies know that America and Israel stand together,’ the leader said.

Netanyahu also requested a meeting with former President Trump this week, according to Politico. It is unclear if Trump agreed to the meeting.

Fox News Digital reached out to Netanyahu’s office and the White House for additional information.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and Paul Steinhouser contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Brace yourself, America. With Kamala Harris, Democrats are about to put on an incredible show

Heads up America: Democrats are as phony as they are dishonest. All those accolades pouring in about Joe Biden being an ‘historic’ president and a ‘great public servant’? Phony. Even before his catastrophic debate Biden’s approval ratings were in the gutter. 

Gushing over candidate Kamala Harris? Also phony. Democrats have been hand-wringing for months about how they could eject President Biden but not allow the unpopular V.P. to take his place. They are only coalescing around her now because they are panicked that an open selection process would throw their party into total disarray.

Kamala Harris has been one of Joe Biden’s most stalwart defenders, lying brazenly for months about his fitness to serve as president for another four years. 

As his vice president, Harris has played a pivotal role in perpetrating one of the greatest political deceptions ever, a deception that has undermined confidence in our political system and put our country at risk. For this alone, she is disqualified from ever serving as this nation’s commander-in-chief.

Still, Republicans need to steel themselves: Democrats are about to put on an incredible show. No, I don’t mean the Democratic Convention in Chicago, which starts on August 19. I mean the tidal wave of money and faux enthusiasm which is about to flow into the campaign to elect Kamala Harris. Democrats everywhere will inundate the airwaves with excited testimonials about Harris’ candidacy; MSNBC hosts will be positively giddy.

Republicans should take a deep breath and remember: it’s the same Kamala Harris. The only reason the V.P. looks good is that she is now being compared – not to Donald Trump – but to Joe Biden. Rather than a shell of a man who cannot complete a sentence or find his way off the stage, the Democrats can now run a person who can unfortunately complete not just one sentence but quite often a salad full of sentences, many of which turn out to be meaningless.

Is Kamala better than Joe? Absolutely. 

Is she, on her own merits, a good candidate? Absolutely not.

Consider:

This is the number one issue for millions of voters. She was the point person who was supposed to fix the mess caused by Joe Biden, who reversed Trump policies key to limiting the migrant flow across our border, and she flopped. She never even took it seriously. In an iconic interview early on, when asked by NBC’s Lester Holt whether she had gone to the border, she claimed she had been and when called out for that lie, she laughed hysterically, said she didn’t understand what the reporter was getting at and declared she hadn’t been to Europe, either. Count on it; we’ll be seeing that clueless exchange in Trump/Vance ads, a lot. 

She had enjoyed a brief bump in her polling after launching a bold attack against candidate Joe Biden during the first primary debate, accusing him of having historically opposed busing. But during her campaign she flip-flopped on then-popular ideas like ‘Medicare for All’, and failed to craft a coherent message on other issues — including busing. She also failed to raise money. Her campaign was poorly managed and the advantage she was expected to have as a woman of color never materialized. A few months before she exited the primaries a Quinnipiac poll showed her winning only 1% of the Black vote. 

The reinventions of Harris were in some cases comical – for example, calling the Second Gentleman Douglas instead of Doug, hoping some gravitas would rub off on the giggling V.P. Based on extensive interviews, Politico described her office as an ‘abusive environment’ and reported that Harris ‘refuses to take responsibility for delicate issues and blames staffers for the negative results that ensue.’     

For instance, by March of 2023, nearly half of Democrats did not want Biden to seek another term, but only 13% of the party thought Kamala should take his place. Harris was considered so toxic that Nikki Haley made the threat of her becoming president central to her campaign. Her refrain that ‘A vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris’ was not only to alert voters to Joe Biden’s advanced age and infirmities, it was also a reminder – and warning — that should Biden have to step aside, Harris would be next in line. Haley knew many would consider that a significant threat; she was right. 

 

One heroic effort came from Politico, which about a year ago ran this intriguing headline: ‘Why Kamala Harris is a Better VP than You Think.’ Professor Julia Azari unsuccessfully tried to explain away Harris’ dismal performance, and in frustration suggests that at least the V.P. is the spokesperson for underrepresented groups. But, even she has to concede that Harris is not popular with Black voters.

Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and others are declining to run against the veep for the Democratic nomination. 

Is that a sign of support? A sign that Democrats are unified in their enthusiasm for Harris? Hardly. Aspiring Democrats undoubtedly figure Kamala Harris will go down in flames in November, leaving the field open for them in 2028. 

They will be right.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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National security experts warn against ‘chaos’ of US elections as Harris enters race

National security experts are looking toward the United States’ chief adversaries as Kamala Harris enters the race for the White House after President Biden announced on Sunday that he would not seek re-election.

The sudden change of the Democrat front-runner for the top job has sparked concern that authoritarian leaders from nations like Russia, China and Iran will utilize the ‘chaos’ to their benefit as the Democratic Party scrambles to build a platform against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Outwardly, nations like Russia and China have revealed little about their reaction to the certain end of a Biden White House and the changes this could bring to U.S. force posture abroad.

‘The elections are still four months away, and that is a long period of time in which a lot can change. We need to be patient and carefully monitor what happens. The priority for us is the special military operation,’ Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Sunday in reference to Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

He also told reporters in a conference call that Moscow was ‘not very surprised’ by Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential ticket.

‘In recent years, what has been happening in the United States has taught us not to be surprised by anything,’ Peskov said, according to Reuters. 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was even more tight-lipped and said, ‘The presidential elections are the United States’ own affairs.

‘We have no comment on that,’ she added in a press conference on Monday.

Over the past 24 hours, questions have mounted over Harris’ qualifications when it comes to U.S. national security as global tensions continue to escalate to levels not seen since the Cold War.

‘The Russians are watching very closely whether Kamala Harris will actually end up becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee now that President Biden has dropped out of the race,’ Rebekah Koffler, former DIA intelligence officer and author of ‘Putin’s Playbook,’ told Fox News Digital.

Some reports citing U.S. intelligence officials have suggested in recent weeks that Russian President Vladimir Putin would favor a Trump presidency, but international security officials have voiced skepticism that Moscow truly favors one candidate over the other when asked about it by Fox News Digital.

‘Putin and the Kremlin have no preference as far as who would become U.S. president because U.S. policy has been consistent for the past 40 years, regardless [of whether] a Republican or Democrat occupied the White House,’ she said. 

Experts are already looking to see how the sudden changes to the 2024 presidential election will be used by top adversaries, and Koffler said ‘the Russian press is erupting with coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris, whom the Russians portray as incompetent, vapid and unintelligent.’

Heino Klinck, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia and military attaché to China, similarly pointed to how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will also likely utilize the abrupt change to enhance domestic anti-democratic arguments. 

‘Harris’ sudden quasi-coronation will only serve CCP talking points about the chaos of American democracy,’ he said. ‘Her lack of national security and defense experience will not engender confidence with our partners and allies.’

Some reporting has suggested that Harris’ relatively minimal foreign policy experience could mean she will rely heavily on her advisers and, therefore, is unlikely to take starkly different approaches to that of Biden when it comes to major international issues, like the war in Ukraine.

Where Harris might differ from the current president is when it comes to the U.S. relationship with Israel.

Harris’ position on the Middle East and how it will affect U.S. policy should she win remains unclear. The current vice president has taken a tougher approach than Biden on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war against Hamas in Gaza, though coming out highly critical of Israel will also be unpopular among moderate Democrat voters.

‘It’s unclear what on the major issues of the region, ranging from Iran to Israel, may change under a potential Harris government,’ Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran expert and senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. ‘Yet the thinking about the region, from national security officials around her and around the Democratic Party, seems to be less is more when it comes to the region. But such thinking is what has cleared the way for the emboldenment of the Islamic Republic [of Iran].

Taleblu said ‘transitions can be turbulent periods, even for democracies’ and that Iran could use Biden’s withdrawal from the ticket to its advantage. 

‘My concern is that while the swap at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket may have been done to placate domestic audiences, there are real questions pertaining to how the chaos looks and sounds abroad,’ he added. 

The expert on Iranian security pointed to Tehran’s expanding nuclear program, its increased reliance on militant groups to fight its proxy wars in the Middle East, and its burgeoning relationships with nations like Russia as examples of Iran’s expanding security threat.

‘This could all easily intensify if the administration appears chaotic and distracted,’ he said.

Though Harris hasn’t led the charge on major international security threats in her role as vice president, she has been privy to White House policy strategy as well as top-level intelligence when she sat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during her time in the upper chamber.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Top five moments from Secret Service director’s hours-long grilling after Trump assassination attempt

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified for hours on Capitol Hill Monday, facing a grilling from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over the agency’s lapse in security that enabled the assassination attempt on former President Trump. 

Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., after he subpoenaed her to appear.

Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee Monday, just over a week after a would-be assassin Thomas Crooks attempted to take the life of Trump at his rally in Butler, Pa. on July 13. 

Trump, during his rally, ever-so-slightly turned his head—narrowly missing the bullet shot by 20-year-old suspect Crooks’ AR-15-style rifle by just a quarter of an inch. The bullet hit him, instead, in his upper right ear.

The bullet killed firefighter, father and husband Corey Comperatore as he protected his family from the shots, and severely injured two others. 

Cheatle admitted under oath that the Secret Service ‘on July 13th, we failed.’ 

Here are the top five moments from the highly-anticipated hearing: 

Cheatle admits Secret Service ‘failed’ on July 13

Cheatle told the House Oversight Committee that ‘on July 13th, we failed’ when it came to her agency’s handling of the assassination attempt on the former president and the shooting at his Butler, Pa. rally. 

‘As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse of our agency,’ she continued.

‘We must learn what happened, and I will move heaven and earth to ensure that an incident like July 13th does not happen again,’ Cheatle also said. ‘Our agents, officers and support personnel understand that every day we are expected to sacrifice our lives to execute a no fail mission.’

Democrats and Republicans call on Cheatle to resign 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., called on Cheatle to resign, along with other Republican lawmakers. 

But Democrats called for her resignation as well, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who said, ‘If you have an assassination attempt on a president or a former president or a candidate, you need to resign.’

Cheatle has maintained that she will not resign, and said she is committed to getting answers on the massive security failure for the American people. 

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., says he plans to introduce articles of impeachment against her.

‘In light of Kimberly Cheatle’s unacceptable handling of the Trump assassination attempt, her disastrous appearance before the House Oversight committee today, and her refusal to resign, we have no choice but to impeach,’ Steube said in a post on X. ‘I will be filing articles of impeachment against Kimberly Cheatle this afternoon.’

And Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., accused Cheatle of perjuring herself and stonewalling members of the House Oversight Committee, telling her protectees are ‘sitting ducks’ with her in charge.

GOP Rep. Nancy Mace calls ‘bulls—’ on Cheatle response 

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday that her response that she had ‘no idea’ how her opening statement for today’s House Oversight Committee hearing on the Trump rally shooting got leaked to media agencies is ‘bulls—.’ 

The fiery remark from the South Carolina lawmaker came after Cheatle was directed by Mace to answer a series of yes or no questions on the Secret Service’s response to the attempted assassination of former President Trump in Pennsylvania, in which Cheatle said ‘yes’ to it being a ‘colossal failure,’ and a tragedy that could have been prevented. 

‘Would you say leaking your opening statement to Punchbowl News, Politico’s Playbook and Washington Post several hours before you sent it to this committee as being political? Yes or no?’ Mace asked Cheatle. 

‘I have no idea how my statement got out,’ Cheatle responded. 

Mace fired back: ‘Well that’s bulls—.’ 

Mace started mentioning news articles published between 5 and 7 a.m. ET, about three to four hours before she said the House Oversight Committee received Cheatle’s statement.

Mace then asked Cheatle, ‘Have you provided all audio and video recordings in your possession to this committee, as we asked on July 15? Yes or no?’  

‘I would have to get back to you,’ Cheatle said. 

‘That is a no. You’re full of s– today. You’re just being completely dishonest,’ Mace told Cheatle, before being interrupted with a call for decorum inside the hearing room at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Cheatle unable to answer how many times Trump team made extra security requests

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday said that ‘for the event in Butler, there were no requests that were denied’ from former President Trump’s team. 

‘They asked for additional help in some form or another. You told them no. How many times did you tell them no? And what’d you tell them no to?’ Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked Cheatle, referencing comments made by Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. 

‘What I can tell you is that in generic terms, when people when details make a request, there are times that there are alternate ways to cover off on that threat or that report,’ Cheatle responded. 

Cheatle tells House Oversight Committee she called Trump after shooting to apologize

Cheatle testified Monday that she called former President Trump after the shooting to apologize. 

She stressed, though, that the Secret Service and ‘the people that are in charge of protecting the president on that day would never bring the former president out if there was a threat that had been identified.’ 

Trump told ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ in an interview that aired Monday night that Cheatle came to see him in the days following the assassination attempt.

‘It went very nicely. She was very nice, I thought. But, you know, somebody should have made sure there was nobody on that roof,’ he said. 

Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Federal Reserve fines Walmart-linked Green Dot Corp $44 million after customers lost access to funds

Green Dot Corp., a company that partners with Walmart to sell prepaid debit cards at the retail giant, has been fined $44 million by the Federal Reserve for ‘numerous’ alleged failures that harmed consumers over a period of at least five years.

In a release Friday, the Fed said Austin-based Green Dot had violated consumer law and committed unfair and deceptive practices that resulted in users being unable to access their own money.

The Fed identified instances of purported wrongdoing by Green Dot starting in 2017 and continuing through December 2022 that included failing to properly close accounts and assessing fees on them, and denying certain customers access to funds while offering inadequate ways for those customers to redress the situation.

It also said Green Dot failed to notify customers that they could no longer register debit cards by phone after the company discontinued that service, and that it failed to properly disclose the fee it charged while partnering on tax-refund deposits with TurboTax.

In addition to the fine, Green Dot is required to implement numerous new compliance efforts that Federal Reserve regulators must approve.

Last year, NBC News reported on issues faced by Green Dot card users that extended beyond the timeline identified by the Fed, with affected customers describing ‘nightmare’ scenarios as recently as August 2023 of being unable to pay bills on time because they could not gain timely access to their money.

A Green Dot spokesperson said most of the issues identified by NBC News reporting were the result of a system upgrade.

In a statement Friday, Green Dot CEO George Gresham said the company was ‘pleased to confirm the consent order has been finalized.’

‘The order relates to practices in place years ago, and we have taken and will continue taking meaningful steps to correct and remediate those issues, including significant updates to our processes, our product packaging and marketing, our management team and our compliance programs,’ Gresham said.

‘We are committed to cooperating and partnering closely with our regulators to ensure all concerns noted in the consent order are addressed and complied with and that our customers are well-served and protected on an ongoing basis. As stewards of our customers’ valued resources, we take this commitment and responsibility very seriously.’

Green Dot had signaled in March that an enforcement action was coming as part of its first quarter earnings report.

Representatives for Walmart and TurboTax parent Intuit did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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Household savings are thinning. Here’s how to put money back in your pocket.

People aren’t boosting their savings much even as wages rise and inflation slows.

Households socked away about 3.9% of their disposable income as of May, the latest federal data shows, down from 5.3% in May of last year, when consumer price increases and the job market were both running hotter. Today, the savings rate is back down to around its levels two years ago after falling from pandemic peaks north of 24%, and remains lower than the 7% range in 2019.

Blame it on steep living costs and high interest rates that have made it tough to save in an otherwise strong economy.

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Delta cancels hundreds more flights as its recovery from global CrowdStrike-Microsoft outage lags

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian apologized and offered frequent flyer miles to travelers for thousands of flight cancellations as the carrier struggled to recover from Friday’s globe-spanning IT outage, disruptions that sparked criticism from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The Atlanta-based airline canceled more than 4,600 flights from Friday through Sunday, more than any other airline, according to aviation data firm OAG.

On Monday morning, Delta had already canceled another 700 flights, or 18% of its mainline operation, making up the vast majority of cancellations in the U.S.

The delays and cancellations have put Delta in a rare spotlight for the carrier whose leaders pride themselves on reliability and punctuality.

Travelers wait in line at check-in in Terminal 2, Delta Airlines, at Los Angeles airport, on July 19, 2024.Etienne Laurent / AFP – Getty Images

“We continue to receive reports of unacceptable disruptions and customer service conditions at Delta Air Lines, including hundreds of complaints filed with our Department,” Buttigieg said in an emailed statement late Sunday. “I have made clear to Delta that we expect the airline to provide prompt refunds” to customers who chose to call off their trips because of the disruptions as well as “timely reimbursements for food and overnight hotel stays to consumers affected by the delays and cancellations, as well as adequate customer service assistance to all of their passengers.”

The disruptions have persisted at Delta while most other carriers have recovered. American Airlines said it was almost back to normal by Saturday. United Airlines had elevated flight disruptions on Sunday with 9% of its schedule canceled, or 260 flights, according to FlightAware, but still below Delta’s.

“I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events,” Bastian said in a message to customers. “Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”

The airline was offering flight attendants extra pay to pick up shifts, a staff memo on Sunday said. The carrier called some of them on their personal phones to come in, according to a person familiar with the matter. High demand during some one of the busiest periods of summer challenged the airline to find alternative flights for affected travelers, Bastian said in his note.

Delta Air Lines has a number of Microsoft tools that were impacted in the outage, “in particular one of our crew tracking-related tools was affected and unable to effectively process the unprecedented number of changes triggered by the system shutdown,” Bastian said in his note.

That would make the event similar to an issue Southwest Airlines suffered, on a much greater scale, at the end of 2022 when it failed to recover from severe winter weather for days.

A botched software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that paralyzed some Windows-based programs also hit the banking and health-care industries.

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Bangladesh’s top court rolls back some job quotas after deadly protests, local media report

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday rolled back some of the controversial quotas on government jobs which sparked violent protests, Reuters reported, citing local media.

Under the quota system, some 30% of sought-after civil service jobs are reserved for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971 – with many of the country’s contemporary political elite related to that generation.

Since the roles are linked to job security and higher pay, the quota system has angered many in the country, particularly students and young people, as Bangladesh faces high unemployment levels.

Dozens of people have reportedly been killed and hundreds injured in the violence, which saw demonstrators gather on streets and university campuses in the capital Dhaka and other cities.

In 2018, the civil service quota system was scrapped following similar protests but in June the High Court reinstated it, ruling its removal unconstitutional. On July 10, the Supreme Court suspended the quotas for one month while it took up the case.

On Sunday, the country’s top court dismissed the earlier ruling that brought back the quotas, directing that 93% of government jobs will be open to candidates on merit, without quotas, Reuters reported citing local media.

Ahead of the ruling, Bangladesh on Sunday extended a curfew imposed on Friday to try to quell the violence and deployed soldiers to patrol the streets of the capital Dhaka, according to Reuters.

According to local media, the curfew was extended until after the Supreme Court hearing and will continue for an “uncertain time” following a two-hour break for people to gather supplies, Reuters reported.

As of Saturday, internet monitoring site NetBlocks said activity had remained at around 10% for more than 48 hours since services were cut Thursday.

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Israel strikes Yemen for the first time following deadly Houthi drone attack. Here’s what we know

For the first time, Israel has struck inside Yemen, following a deadly drone attack launched by Houthi rebels on Tel Aviv.

Since the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel, the Houthis have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity – they say – with Gaza. But these direct attacks on each other’s soil between the Israeli military and an Iranian-backed rebel group risk creating a new front in a conflict that already threatened to spill over into the region.

Soon after the Israeli attack, the Houthis said they launched a fresh barrage of missiles towards Israel, promising a response that will be “huge and great.”

Here’s what we know.

Who are the Houthis and what is their role in the Gaza conflict?

The Houthis are an Iran-backed Islamist group based in Yemen.

The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), is one side in a civil war that has raged in Yemen for nearly a decade. It emerged in the 1990s, when its leader, Hussein al-Houthi, launched “Believing Youth,” a religious revival movement for a centuries-old subsect of Shia Islam called Zaidism.

Since a ceasefire, the Houthis have consolidated their control over most of northern Yemen. They have also sought an agreement with Saudi Arabia, a major rival of Iran, that would bring the war to a permanent end and cement their role as the country’s rulers.

The Houthis are believed to have been armed and trained by Iran. Since Hamas’s attacks on October 7 attacks and Israel’s subsequent ground and air offenses in Gaza, the Houthis say they have been seeking revenge against Israel for its military campaign by targeting Red Sea shipping.

The US and UK have responded to those attacks by carrying out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. However, Israel has not taken part in those responses.

In addition, Israel’s army spokesman says the militant group has targeted “Israeli civilians and civilian infrastructure” about 200 times in the same period. Most of those launches were intercepted by US Central Command, the spokesman said, but Israel’s air defenses have also intercepted Houthi drones and missiles inside and outside Israel’s airspace.

What happened in Tel Aviv?

A tipping point for Israel appears to have come on Friday, when a drone attack was launched on Tel Aviv, killing one Israeli citizen and injuring several others.

The attack was claimed by the Houthis, with spokesperson Yahya Sare’e saying the operation was performed by a new drone capable of “bypassing the enemy’s interception systems.”

“We will continue to strike these targets in response to the enemy’s massacres and daily crimes against our brothers in the Gaza Strip,” Sare’e said. “Our operations will only cease when the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”

The attack marked the first time Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial center, has been struck by a drone in an attack claimed by the Houthis. Israel authorities are investigating the circumstances and potential security failures around the deadly drone blast.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the military suspects the drone was an Iranian-made Samad-3 model, launched from Yemen, which had been upgraded to extend its range.

A second drone was intercepted outside of Israeli airspace to the east at the same time as the attack, he said, adding that Israel is now upgrading its air defenses and increasing aerial patrols of its borders.

How did Israel respond?

Israel’s response came a day later, when Israeli aircraft hit the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

The attack, which marked the first time Israel has struck Yemen, killed at least six people and injured scores more, Yemeni officials said. The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said the strikes targeted oil facilities in the port on Yemen’s west coast.

Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said the strikes had also hit civilian targets and a power station. He slammed what he said was “brutal Israeli aggression” aimed at increasing the “suffering of the people of Yemen” and pressuring the group to stop its support of Gaza.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the port was used by Iran to bring arms into Yemen.

“The port we attacked is not an innocent port. It was used for military purposes, it was used as an entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Netanyahu also said the operation, which hit targets 1,800 km (1,118 miles) from Israel’s borders, showed Israel was serious about responding to threats.

“It makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the State of Israel will not reach,” Netanyahu said.

How big an escalation is this?

Neither side have suggested they are ready to back down. “It’s not in the Houthi ‘DNA’ to de-escalate with Israel,” Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute wrote on X.

Houthi army spokesperson Yehya Saree said the Houthis have “prepared for a long war” with Israel and that Tel Aviv is still not safe. Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, warned that the “blood of Israeli citizens has a price,” and that if Israelis are attacked, the “result will be identical” to that which has been seen in Lebanon and Gaza.

On Sunday, Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile approaching Israeli territory from Yemen while the Houthis said they launched a “number of ballistic missiles.”

The war in Gaza has already been accompanied by significantly heightened tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The two sides have been trading cross-border fire since October 8, when Hezbollah fired at three Israeli border posts “in solidarity” with Palestinians.

But while raised tensions with the Houthis undoubtedly creates fresh challenges for Israel, Hezbollah remains the bigger threat given its extensive arsenal and proximity to Israel.

He believes Israel was trying to send a signal to the US and the international community that “enough is enough,” and deliberately chose a target with high visibility.

“You have to signal to a rogue actor that is attacking you that there is a price to pay, and I think this is what Israel tried to do.”

Like the Houthis, Hezbollah is also heavily backed by Iran, which makes no secret of its animosity towards Israel.

Any increase in hostilities between Israel and Iran’s proxies is seen as deeply destabilizing in the region because it could push the two countries closer towards open warfare.

Israel and Iran have already traded one direct exchange since October 7. Few in the international community want to see it happen again.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

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