A former Houthi official told Israel Hayom in an exclusive Sunday report that the Yemeni group's terrorist attack on Israel, where it launched a drone that killed one and wounded others in Tel Aviv, "was a grave mistake."
The former official told the Israeli source that "it would have been possible to support the Palestinians financially, with a media campaign or with humanitarian aid like other Arab countries. On the other hand, the Houthis' pursuit of a direct confrontation with Israel is a step that endangers the civilian population in the country, which is already suffering from a humanitarian crisis."
The official further explained to Israel Hayom that "the Houthis use tens of millions of Yemenis as human shields when they send a rocket and kill an Israeli civilian. They will cause the ports to go bankrupt. Israel is not like Britain and the USA, which attack (only) military targets" - implying that Israel deliberately strikes civilian targets. "The conflict is between Israel and the Palestinians. We do not have a direct conflict with Israel."
No defense system available
The former official also admitted that the pro-Iranian terrorist group doesn't even have an air defense system capable of protecting their country.
"They are sending these rockets when they are unable to shoot down even one Israeli plane," he continued, expressing fear that Israel might impose a naval and air blockade on Yemen - and that the civilian population would pay the price.
The Israeli strikes on the Houthis on Hodeidah, which occurred the day before the Israel Hayom report was published, came in response to the Houthi drone strike in Tel Aviv.
The operation took two hours and 50 minutes for the IDF F-15s, F-35s, and other fighter jets, which carried out around ten airstrikes.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.