Haaretz: Israel Considers Options to Halt Houthi Attacks, Including Understandings with Hamas or Iran

Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:

According to official sources, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has revealed that Tel Aviv is considering several potential scenarios to stop missile attacks carried out by the Houthi group. These options include entering into an agreement with either Hamas or Iran, explicitly or implicitly involving a ceasefire from Yemeni territory.

This revelation comes hours after a mutual military escalation between Israel and the Houthis. On Monday, the Houthi group announced that it had countered Israeli airstrikes on several sites in Yemen using anti-aircraft missiles.

For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that the air force carried out a military operation code-named “Black Banner,” targeting “terrorist sites” in the ports of Hudaidah, Saleef, and Ras Isa, in addition to the Ras al-Katib power station. He also indicated that the Galaxy Leader ship, which the Houthis seized in 2023, was targeted, stating it is being used for “terrorist activities.”

Gallant threatened the Houthis with paying a “heavy price,” saying, “As I warned before, the law of Yemen is the law of Tehran. Whoever tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and whoever raises their hand against us will have it cut off.”

In a direct response to these statements, the Houthis later announced a “qualitative attack” on targets inside Israel, including Ben Gurion Airport and the ports of Eilat and Ashdod, using three ballistic missiles and eight drones.

These developments reflect the Houthis’ continued adoption of an offensive policy towards Israel, amidst increasing indications that they possess Iranian military capabilities.