Netanyahu Signals Readiness for Broad Military Campaign Against Houthis in Yemen
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly expressed readiness to join a broad military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, as Israel closely monitors threats to Red Sea shipping lanes.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed readiness to participate in a broad military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen as part of regional efforts to counter growing threats to shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.
Intelligence Tracking and Strategic Concerns
According to the report, American diplomatic sources claim Benjamin Netanyahu is offering Israeli capabilities to Arabian Peninsula states to integrate into a wider war. This development follows Houthi advances in western Yemen and growing concerns in Israel over their potential control of strategic coastal areas.
Yesterday, Maariv reported that Israel is closely monitoring Houthi movements after their seizure of the port city of Al-Mokha near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The main concern is that the Houthis could consolidate control over the port, escalating pressure on oil tankers and commercial shipping, ultimately threatening global energy and trade routes.
"We have removed and pushed back existential threats built against us for years," said IDF Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. "We will not allow the creation of existential threats by radical enemies or the entrenchment of terror organizations on our borders."
IDF Readiness and Naval Operations
Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir and Navy Commander Major General Eyal Harel delivered direct messages to the Houthis and Iran this week. Eyal Zamir emphasized that the long arm of ЦАХАЛ reaches everywhere, citing operations in Bab el-Mandeb, Beirut, and off the coast of Газа. Major General Eyal Harel added that in the new maritime arena, there are no distant fronts and distance grants no immunity.
Concurrently, ЦАХАЛ completed a major divisional exercise by the 80th Division in Эйлат and its maritime surroundings. The drill simulated a massive multi-domain infiltration by Houthi and pro-Iranian militia fighters via sea, air, and land, testing defensive responses to hostage-taking scenarios and attacks on hotels, educational institutions, and commercial centers.
