Houthis threaten ‘direct naval battle with the Israeli entity’
Houthi representatives said they plan to escalate attacks against the State of Israel in the coming days, according to a report from left-wing Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar.
The newspaper summarized the comments of Houthi officials, indicating that “military preparations are underway to engage in a direct naval battle with the Israeli entity,” and that “the Israeli and American naval forces in the Mediterranean will be in the target range of Sana’a forces’ missiles and aircraft.”
“This military effort may be with the participation of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon,” Al Akhbar concluded.
Yemen's capital, Sanaa, has been controlled by Houthi rebels since 2014.
Houthi representatives also told Al Akhbar that “the Israeli occupation’s warships and frigates in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea will be among the targets in the coming days.”
Seth J. Frantzman's analysis in The Jerusalem Post argued that “the new report at the Lebanese Al-Akhbar is seemingly meant to deter Israel and the US from further action against Iran.”
Frantzman went on to say that the report “looks like part of a plan for possible wider escalation in the region in case of Israeli retaliation for the Iranian October 1 ballistic missile attack.”
The Iranian-backed Houthis have launched several attacks on Israeli and American ships since Oct. 7th of last year.
As recently as last month, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes against several Houthi military targets in Yemen.
In a statement defending the strikes, the Israeli military stated that “over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
