Bracing for Israeli retaliation, Houthis raise combat readiness alert to highest level

The Houthis ordered the evacuation of civilians from areas close to the major coastal city of Hodeidah and called troops to the front lines. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

On Wednesday, the Houthis raised the combat readiness for Yemen to its highest level in anticipation of Israeli retaliation, according to Saudi media reports.

They ordered the evacuation of civilians from areas close to the major coastal city of Hodeidah and called troops to the front lines.

London-based Arabic news site Ashraq Al-Aswat reported that after Israel’s defense minister threatened to execute their leadership in a similar way to the killing of the Hamas and Hezbollah leadership, the Houthis called up many new recruits.

Other soldiers were moved to Yemen’s cities to prevent an uprising similar to what happened in Syria with the fall of the Assad regime.

Merchants who own warehouses in the “Kilo 7” district in Hodeidah were told to empty their facilities and prepare for the destruction of their property.

Yemeni government officials said the Houthis had reinforced trenches, minefields, and earthen berms along the frontlines.

The terror group warned civilians to avoid discussing attacks over the phone or by text and to be content with simply checking on the well-being of their relatives.

Israel’s defense minister signaled on Tuesday that the IDF is preparing for a major retaliation against pro-Iranian forces in Yemen after a string of missile attacks on Israel.

Defense Minister Israel Katz (Likud) visited a Hetz (Arrow) missile defense battery Tuesday morning, accompanied by air defense commander Brig. Gen. Gilad Biran. The visit came hours after the missile battery successfully shot down a missile fired by Yemenite Houthis toward central Israel overnight.

Katz said that Israel “will not tolerate” continued attacks from pro-Iranian forces in Yemen and intimated that the IDF is preparing to assassinate the Houthi leaders.

“We will not tolerate the fact that the Houthis continue to fire at the State of Israel. I warned and said that just as we dealt with Sinwar in Gaza, Haniyeh in Tehran, and Nasrallah in Beirut, we will also deal with the Houthi leaders in Sana’a and everywhere in Yemen,” Katz said.

Shrapnel from a Houthi missile shot down the IDF and damaged a home in central Israel early on Wednesday.

Sirens sent millions to shelters, but there were no injuries.