‘Proactive offense’ against Houthis needed: Ex-IAF commander

“We must take actions that deter the enemy,” says former head of Israel’s air defenses.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel must deal a heavy blow against the Houthis, after a missile launched by the Yemeni terror group reached central Israel on Sunday, urged an ex-Air Force senior commander.

Speaking to Radio103 FM, retired Brigadier General Doron Gavish, who once headed Israel’s air defenses, said that the Jewish State must embrace a “proactive offense” against the Houthis.

The IDF “must react according to our own timeline,” Gavish said, stressing that “we cannot remain only on the defensive. We must take actions that deter the enemy.”

Sunday’s attack marked the first time that a missile fired from Yemen had entered airspace in central Israel, and raised questions as to why it had not been detected by Israeli or American radar.

Shrapnel from the interception, along with large parts of the missile itself, caused air raid sirens to wail throughout a wide swathe of central Israel.

Damage was reported in Modi’in and Rehovot, two cities that are some 22 kilometers (13 miles) apart. The interception also sparked a large fire near Ben Gurion Airport.

Gavish acknowledged that the interception of the missile appeared to have been botched, as the weapon’s warhead was reportedly not destroyed in the air.

“The interception was not completed as expected,” he said.

Gavish expressed skepticism regarding Houthi claims that a hypersonic missile had been used in the attack, saying he doubted that the terror group had access to wepaons that advanced.

Rather, Gavish said he believed a traditional ballistic missile had been used, as the projectile reached Israel some 11 minutes after it was launched.

In July, an explosive drone fired by the Houthis went undetected for approximately 10 hours while en route to Israel.

The drone exploded 100 meters away the American consulate in Tel Aviv, killing an Israeli man who worked at a nearby hostel.

The next day, Israel retaliated by bombing the Hudaydah Port in Yemen, killing 14.