Let's be clear. There is not enough intelligence on the Houthi rebels in Yemen or on the country. The geographical distance of over 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) over the Red Sea and the lack of previous anti-Israel activity, had not compelled Israeli intelligence services to study this adversary.,
Now the Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and the group's spokesperson Yahya Qasim Sare'e, make it clear that as long as the war in Gaza continues, the Houthis are all in in the fight against Israel.
Houthi activists write endless posts on social media. In one, a member of the rebel group announces that the attacks on Jaffa, (never Tel Aviv or Ramat Gan,) are but a prelude to the real attack on the city of Dimona. "Workers in the nuclear reactor – prepare," he writes.
But the real problem is elsewhere, in Tehran, and with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). That is where the orders are originating and where the weapons are being sent. For now, Israel has not decided on any decisive action against Iran.
The rebels are a different breed of Yemeni citizens. They act independentaly and their attacks on Israel appear to be practice drills for a bigger and more impressive targets.
The wives of the Houthi leaders have left quietly on board an Iraqi jet, disguised as a civilian flight, taking them away from danger. Al Houthi and his brother chose to send their families away to safety. It is unclear for how long, but the responsibility lies in the hands of Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani who is a supporter of the Iranian regime.
Houthi military parade
Almost at the same time that the families were flown out of Yemen, a special plane belonging to the World Health Organization left Sanaa for Jordan, carrying WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus and a member of the organization who was wounded in an Israeli strike on the airport.
The Houthi leader, like Yaya Sinwar of Hamas and Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah, has been leading his terror group from an underground tunnel and although he is a long, distance away from Tel Aviv, refrains from leaving. His group has been considering the option of traitors among them who may assassinate the leader, for the right price. Meanwhile, Houthi commanders come into the tunnel to receive their orders.
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Israel would certainly like to find al Malaki al Houthi and dispatch him as the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders were dispatched. Nasrallah was a revered figure in Yemen and a ceremony honoring him was held in Sanaa, after his assassination.
But what is the Houthi's ultimate goal? What will 50 to 100 thousand armed fighters do if Israel and Hamas agree on a cease-fire? In Sanaa, sights are already being set on the real prize, control of all of Yemen, the poorest among the Arab nations, and the strikes against Israeli targets are only practice drills ahead of the real battle.
HOUTHIS CONTINUED MISSILE CAMPAIGN
(ILTV)