Yemen's Ansarullah leader says the recent escalation of Israeli aggression against Damascus is part of a broader strategy to establish the equation of "occupation without facing any response."

In a televised speech on Thursday, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said the Israeli regime aims to invade all countries in the region without encountering retaliation.

"Despite the public stance of those in power in Syria toward normalizing relations with Israel, the aggressions against Syria continue," he said.

Israel's military aggression in Syria has intensified since the rise of the new regime led by former al-Qaeda and Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani in December.

In a significant escalation of its ongoing atrocities, Israel launched airstrikes on Wednesday targeting key military and government sites in Damascus and the southwestern province of Dara'a.

Israel is manipulating an ongoing strife between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province of Suwayda which began with tit-for-tat kidnappings to attack Syria.

Regional leaders say Israel seeks to break Syrian unity and turn the country into a theater of chaos.

Houthi said Israel seeks to shape the internal dynamics of Syria by using the pretext of supporting the Druze and minority communities.

The ruling Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime in Damascus led by Jolani has repeatedly indicated that it wants to "normalize relations" with Israel, recognize the regime, and exchange ambassadors by the end of 2026.

Israeli forces, nevertheless, have seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border with the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syria.

Israel claims that the escalation in its aggression campaign is aimed at defending the Druze, who have been involved in days of clashes with HTS forces, and at pushing these forces away from the border.

According to the Houthis, Israel is exploiting the flawed policies of militant groups in their dealings with minorities in Syria, adding that the HTS regime has "engineered sectarian and religious divisions to sow discord within the Islamic nation."

The Ansarullah leader added that Israel also aims to control a significant portion of Syrian territory up to the outskirts of Damascus, as well as to dictate Syria's relationships and policies to ensure its own security.

Addressing the rising Israeli aggression against Lebanon, Houthi touched on US pressures on Lebanese factions to accept Israel's plan to disarm Hezbollah.

He also condemned Israel's relentless genocide against the Palestinian people, highlighting the destruction of Gaza's cities and residential neighborhoods.

He revealed that Israel has "completely wiped out some families" and noted a 41% drop in Gaza's birth rate compared to last year, alongside a 10% decrease in the overall population.

"The genocide of the people of Gaza is a shared objective of the United States and Israel," he stressed, adding that Israel is heavily relying on American bombs, with explosives reportedly being dropped more frequently than bullets.

He also said the US military support for Israel is funded largely by the wealth of Arab countries, with trillions of dollars sent to the US under the guise of investments.

The Ansarullah leader said the aggression against Gaza reflects American aggression more than Israeli actions, saying, "Israel's role is merely to carry out these crimes."

He added that the US provides Israel with planning, intelligence, and political cover, while pressuring many countries to remain silent or support the Zionist regime.

The attacks in Gaza are crimes against humanity, he said, noting Israel's blatant disregard for the UN Charter.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said Monday after the announcement that he was working on "major" defense agreements with the Trump administration but "it is not yet time to reveal the details publicly."

Germany has offered to buy two systems and Norway a third. The United States has far more Patriot batteries than any other military — more than 60 of the estimated 180 worldwide, according to weapons trackers at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

But it is not clear which countries are selling theirs. Mr. Trump did not commit to selling the United States' supply of Patriots to Ukraine, and it is possible some arms will come from governments outside NATO's 32-country alliance. Those countries would then be given priority to buy American-made replacements. That has already been happening throughout the war.

Neither Mr. Rutte nor Mr. Trump detailed what other kinds of missiles and ammunition might be sold to allies for Ukraine.

Ukraine's officials have called air defenses — and Patriots in particular — the single most important weapon system they need right now.

Generally, a single Patriot battery costs about $1 billion to build, depending on the model, and interceptor missiles cost about $3.7 million each. JASSMs sell for about $1.5 million each. And ATACMS cost at least $1 million or more per missile.

Six countries - Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Canada - were willing to take part in the arms procurement scheme - two of which only learned of their supposed participation when the announcement was made.

France and Italy will not be financially supporting the effort. Hungary and the Czech Republic have also declined to participate, with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala saying Prague is focusing on other projects.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, on the other hand, has welcomed the proposal but emphasized that Washington should "share the burden," stating that if European countries pay for the weapons, it should be considered as "European support."