Israel braces for possible Houthi ground or sea attack as Yemen conflict escalates

Israeli security officials warn that Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen could attack Israel by land or sea.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel is strengthening its defenses along its southern frontier amid growing concerns that Yemen’s Houthi terrorists could attempt a surprise attack by land or sea, as escalating hostilities between the Iran-backed group and Saudi Arabia raise fears of a wider regional confrontation.

Israeli defense officials believe the Houthis are developing capabilities for attacks extending beyond the missile and drone strikes they have previously launched against Israel, according to a report published Wednesday morning by Walla.

The IDF is preparing to establish a new fire coordination center within the Edom Division, which is responsible for defending parts of Israel’s southern border region. Additional preparations include maintaining reserve and rapid-response forces near Eilat, deploying weapons systems and improving cooperation between ground troops, naval forces and the air force.

The military is also conducting exercises designed to shorten response times and strengthen coordination with the Israel Police and Border Police.

Israeli officials have been monitoring Houthi military exercises that simulate ground assaults on Israeli positions, including attacks on fortified military outposts and guard towers.

Videos released by the terrorist organization over the past two years have demonstrated its interest in conducting raids resembling those carried out by other terrorist groups.

Concerns about the threat are not new. Earlier this year, Shin Bet director David Zini reportedly warned that Eilat could face a large-scale surprise assault involving Houthi fighters or other terrorist organizations, potentially approaching Israeli territory through Jordan or by sea.

The Israeli Navy has also been preparing for maritime infiltration attempts. In June, it conducted an exercise simulating an attack by terrorists approaching Israel’s southern maritime border on jet skis.

However, security analysts have differed over the likelihood that the Houthis could successfully carry out such an operation, given Yemen’s considerable distance from Israel and the logistical challenges involved.

Jonathan Ruhe, a military expert at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, previously questioned the group’s ability to mount an overseas assault, arguing that the Houthis “don’t really have any expeditionary capabilities.”

The renewed Israeli preparations come as the Houthis intensify their campaign against Saudi Arabia, repeatedly targeting airports, energy facilities and other infrastructure with ballistic missiles and drones.

A Houthi missile attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the weekend killed 13 people, while additional strikes have injured hundreds and severely disrupted air travel.

On Tuesday, an attack on Saudi Aramco’s headquarters complex in Dhahran damaged an administrative building and caused a fire. Saudi authorities reported no casualties in that incident.

Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, including fuel facilities near the capital, Sanaa, as fighting continues over strategically important territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Israeli officials are concerned that the escalating confrontation could trigger further Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, prompting a stronger Saudi military response and potentially drawing the US into the conflict.

Such an escalation could also lead the Houthis to target American interests located in Israel, creating additional security challenges for the IDF.

One Israeli defense official said the Houthis should no longer be viewed simply as an Iranian proxy, describing the group as demonstrating “operational independence with an inexplicable determination against the Saudis.”

Although the Houthis have received substantial Iranian military support, Israeli officials increasingly regard the group as capable of making independent operational decisions.

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