Breitbart.com reports: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lit the first candle of Hanukkah in Jerusalem, Israel, on Wednesday evening, and warned Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have been firing missiles and drones from Yemen that they are about to learn a lesson.

The Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel early Wednesday (Christmas) morning, which was intercepted by Israel’s defense systems, though pieces of shrapnel fell on the country. A drone from Yemen reached Israel but landed in an open area, causing no injuries.

Israel has retaliated against the rebels three times, and is planning a larger counterattack, after Houthi attacks have continued.

Hanukkah (or Chanukah) celebrates the rededication of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem after it was liberated from Syrian-Greek control in the second century B.C. While the themes of the holiday are primarily religious, it is also a powerful symbol of Israel triumphing over its enemies, and it was in that sense that Netanyahu invoked it…”