By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel is preparing for a military offensive against Yemen's Houthi group in response to continued missile and drone attacks, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) said Monday.
The announcement came after Israel intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone launched by the Houthis earlier in the day.
KAN described the developments as part of escalating tensions linked to Iran’s regional allies.
“The Houthis have assumed the mantle of attacking Israel on behalf of the entire Iranian axis,” the report said, citing the weakened positions of Syria’s ousted Assad regime and Hezbollah group in Lebanon as contributing factors.
KAN also reported a consensus within Israel’s security establishment to strike back at Houthi targets.
The Houthis have launched six drones and two ballistic missiles toward Israel in the past week alone, officials said. However, the decision to initiate an attack is awaiting approval from the Israeli leadership.
The Israeli army stressed the importance of addressing the threat from Yemen.
“This requires shifting intelligence resources and preparing operational units for the mission,” it said.
The Houthis have not yet commented on the reports.
Earlier on Monday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a hypersonic ballistic missile attack on a military target in Jaffa, a city in central Israel. Israeli emergency services reported injuries to five people in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas as they rushed to shelters following the attack.
The Houthis, in solidarity with Gaza, which has been facing an Israeli genocidal war since Oct. 7, 2023, have targeted Israeli cargo ships or those associated with Tel Aviv in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, expressing their determination to continue operations until the end of the onslaught on the enclave.
In retaliation, Israel has conducted two prior operations against Yemen.
The first, dubbed “Long Arm,” occurred in July, targeting Houthi-controlled Hudaydah port and fuel infrastructure at the city’s power plant. The second took place in September, focusing on multiple Houthi targets in the same region.
Since the beginning of 2024, a coalition led by the US has been conducting airstrikes that it said are targeting Houthi locations in parts of Yemen in response to attacks by the group in the Red Sea. The counterattacks have been occasionally met with retaliation from the group.
With the intervention of Washington and London and an escalation of tensions, the Houthis announced that they consider all American and British ships military targets.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio