Israel at war: What happened on day 391?

The IDF said on Thursday that it had destroyed around 70% of Hezbollah's drones from its Unit 127, mostly since it escalated its attacks in mid-September,

Besides that general number, the IDF said it had killed a full 10% of Hezbollah's drone operators as well as the commander of the entire unit.

Hamas takes UNRWA vehicles to move around the Gaza Strip, a UNRWA worker said while being interrogated by security officials, according to footage published by the IDF on Thursday. 

In the video, the worker confirmed his role as UNRWA security guard.

After the war broke out, Hamas "entered the UNRWA facilities," the worker said, adding that the terror group "took everything."

Two people were killed from shrapnel near Route 79 following the recent rocket barrage in the Haifa bayside suburbs area, Magen David Adom (MDA) confirmed on Thursday.

Additionally, three people sustained light wounds from shrapnel in the area. 

An upcoming treaty between Russia and Iran will include closer defense cooperation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

The two countries say they are close to signing the agreement. In September, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian committed his country to deeper ties with Russia to counter Western sanctions.

The IDF issued an evacuation order for residents in Lebanon's Baalbek city and surrounding areas on Thursday for the second day in a row.

The IDF said on Thursday it shot down a drone smuggling weapons from Egyptian territory to Israel on Wednesday.

Tunnel Network

Israeli officials have said during the war in Gaza that the terrorist group Hamas used tunnels running under the border into Egypt's Sinai region to smuggle arms.

Egypt says it destroyed tunnel networks leading to Gaza years ago and created a buffer zone and border fortifications that prevent smuggling.

Earlier in October, the IDF also said it foiled a weapon smuggling attempt from Egypt after downing a drone carrying guns and bullets.

Senior officials within the Lebanese Kataeb Party (the Phalanges) and Lebanese Forces believe that weakening Hezbollah’s economic capabilities may destabilize its hold over its base of supporters.

The Houthis have made gains from inserting themselves into the Israel-Hamas war, analysts in a report from The Wall Street Journal claim. 

While Israel's attacks during the widening war have mostly been targeting Hamas and Hezbollah leadership, the Houthis, in contrast, have so far avoided a similar fate. They've launched drones and missiles over 80 vessels in the Red Sea since the war's start, successfully snagging global trade and increasing global shipping costs.

Analysts the report cited claim that the Houthis have “renewed domestic and regional legitimacy" by aligning themselves with Gaza.

“One of the unfortunate offshoots of the Gaza conflict is…that the Houthis have doubled down on their contacts with other malign actors in the region and beyond,” said Timothy Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen. 

Lenderking, in an interview, called the trend “very alarming” and said the US is talking with regional partners about how to respond. 

A Houthi follower holds a rocket launcher as others carry a cutout banner, portraying the Galaxy Leader cargo ship which was seized by Houthis, during a parade as part of a 'popular army' mobilization campaign by the movement, in Sanaa, Yemen, February 7, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

Houthis have expanded at an alarming rate

The Israel-Hamas war has allowed the Houthis to expand rapidly. The Wall Street Journal claims that Houthi recruiting numbers within Yemen have increased. Additionally, earlier this year, the Iraqi terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah agreed to work with the Houthis to strike Israel. 

“The Houthis have morphed from sandal-wearing fighters to rock stars. These are people who you want to be associated with right now,” said Michael Knights, co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, to The Wall Street Journal.

A recent UN report proved extensive Houthi cooperation with other terrorist groups in the Middle East, namely the presence of Houthi joint-operations centers in Iraq and Lebanon to synchronize military actions of Iran-backed terror groups.

The UN report further stated that the Houthis have an agreement with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula regarding weapons transfers and that the two groups are discussing potential joint operations against the Aden-based Yemeni government and other maritime targets.

Saudi Arabia, Oman and Djibouti, namely, are concerned with this development, Lenderking said, and further stated that the US is discussing with its allies how to block arms shipments. 

The UN report claimed that the Houthis had gone from a "localized armed group with limited capacity to a powerful military organization." 

While Israel and the US have done some strikes against the Houthis, The Wall Street Journal says that they haven't "done much" to flatten their capabilities.

Russia's role

Russian involvement with the Houthis is another concerning development showing the terrorist group's international reach. 

The Houthis used targeting data provided by Russia to attack Western ships in the Red Sea earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. 

Additionally, earlier this year, a senior IRGC missile and drone program commander was evacuated from Hodeida port in April by a Russian warship, The Wall Street Journal cited a Western security official as saying. The Uzs has offered $15 million for the commander, Abdul Reza Shahlai, who is believed to have plotted an assassination attempt on the Saudi ambassador in Washington as well as an attack that would have killed 200 US civilians.

Iran has continued to broker talks between Russia and the Houthis regarding a transfer of anti-ship missiles, Reuters cited three Western and regional sources as saying. Russia is reportedly considering giving the Houthis the missiles in retaliation to the US giving Ukraine arms to strike within Russia. 

"Russia is negotiating with the Houthis for the transfer of Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missiles," said a Western intelligence source to Reuters. "The Iranians are brokering the talks but do not want to have their signature over it."

According to Reuters, Russia has yet to decide to transfer the Yakhont missiles – also known as P-800 Oniks - which experts said would allow the militant group to strike commercial vessels in the Red Sea more and increase the threat to the Western warships defending them.

Lenderking said Moscow is “using Yemen as a way to get back at the United States.” 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

Iran will respond to Israel's recent attacks with a "definitive and painful response" that could come before the US presidential election next Tuesday, a source told CNN on Wednesday. 

Key Hamas operative Hassam Malach was eliminated in Tulkarm, the IDF announced in a joint statement with the Shin Bet and Israel Police.

According to the statement, Malach was responsible for terror attacks "in the immediate time frame."

Malach was a leader of the Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Tulkarm, and was responsible for planning attacks that were to be carried out on the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre.