Exclusive – Houthis Get Ready For The Israeli Retaliation By Downplaying Discussions Of Their Military Capabilities

Yemen Monitor / Sanaa / Special:

Two knowledgeable sources revealed that the leader of the Houthis has instructed the group’s leaders to minimize discussions about their military capabilities, as the group prepares to respond to Israeli actions.

The sources told “Yemen Monitor” that the Houthi leader directives came last week during meetings held via a closed communication channel regarding preparations to respond to Israeli occupation.

Houthis leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi had previously threatened with weapons the world had never known before.

The first source, a military official with the Houthis, stated that preparations include “all possibilities in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, and an expansion of the conflict with the US and Israel.”

The source pointed out that multiple weapons have been relocated from previous sites as part of new transfer plans, fearing potential leaks of information.

The Houthis are preparing for a wave of expected assassinations of group leaders, according to sources who informed “Yemen Monitor” earlier this month.

The Israeli campaign of assassinations against first and second-tier leaders of Hezbollah, including the party’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, raises concerns about possible infiltrations within the Houthi group – according to another official in the movement.

The second source, who is involved in politics and is aware of security matters, expects that the new arrangements to expand the conflict with the US aim to create pressure in case of an Israeli response to Iran, and to involve the Houthis in potential response efforts from Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Iraghchi met on Monday with Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam in Muscat.

The Houthis have sent military reinforcements to the front lines in Hajjah and Hodeidah in western Yemen, fearing moves by the Yemeni government, supported by the West, to take control of these areas and end the truce that has been ongoing since 2022, according to the second source.

The source indicates that part of the preparations is dedicated to domestic fighting fronts.

Less than two weeks after the start of the brutal Israeli campaign on the Gaza Strip on October 7 last year, the Houthis initiated ballistic missile and drone strikes towards Israel. Given the distance between Sanaa and Tel Aviv, which exceeds 2,500 kilometers, and the limited military capabilities of the Houthis, this act seemed closer to a show of solidarity than an actual military attack on Israel. However, the Houthis soon began targeting ships related to Israel as they crossed the Red Sea, targeting more than 180 commercial vessels, seizing one ship, and sinking two in operations that also resulted in the deaths of four sailors.

In response, the US and Britain have been conducting airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi group since January 11. As a result, the Houthis announced an expansion of their operations to include US and British ships.