Houthi rebels in Yemen attempted to strike Israel’s Ben Gurion airport after sinking two vessels in the Red Sea this week, as the group ramps up its military pressure in support of Palestinians under Israeli fire in its bid to bring the war in Gaza to an end.

While UN and European officials hope that a cease-fire deal would help ease suffering among the Strip’s population, Israelis worry that as in the

Israel and Iran-backed Houthi rebels exchanged missile fire on Monday as Israeli forces targeted Yemeni ports they say are used for weapons transfers.

Israel has been conducting near-daily strikes against what it says are Hezbollah targets as the Iranian-backed group comes under pressure to disarm amid fears of a renewed war.

A deal being hammered out with Hamas would see 10 men released out of 20 believed to be alive, and the decision about who should be freed is creating deep despair.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a second meeting in two days with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday evening.

Operationally, the Israeli campaign was indeed impressive. For 12 days, the Israeli air force ruled Iranian skies without losing a single plane. Any euphoria, however, is premature and discordant. Iran has not vanished as an enemy. And the routine state of affairs to which Israel has returned is not peacetime, but continuing war in Gaza.