JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister on Monday said that he had ordered the country’s military to destroy the infrastructure of Iran-backed Houthis, after the Yemeni group fired missiles at Israel last week.

“I have instructed our forces to destroy the infrastructure of Houthis because anyone who tries to harm us will be struck with full force. We will continue to crush the forces of evil with strength and ingenuity, even if it takes time,” Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament.

He added that progress had been made in ongoing hostage negotiations with Hamas in Gaza but that he did not know how much longer it would take to see the results.

During a speech in Israel’s Knesset, Netanyahu said Israel had made “great achievements” militarily on several fronts and that military pressure on Hamas had led its leaders to soften their previous demands.

The prime minister, in between heckles from opposition members, said Israel had solidified its stance as a “regional power” and that he planned to expand the Abraham Accords together with Israel’s “American ally.”

He said the war in Gaza had offered opportunities to sign new peace accords with Arab nations and “dramatically change the face of” the Middle East.

“Moderate Arab countries view Israel as a regional power and a potential ally. I intend to seize this opportunity to the fullest. Together with our American friends, I plan to expand the Abraham Accords... and thus change even more dramatically the face of the Middle East,” he said in parliament, referring to agreements which normalized ties between Israel and some Arab states during Donald Trump’s first term as US president.

Netanyahu said Israel’s economy was strong and encouraged foreign investors to invest.