A senior military official recently cautioned in a closed meeting that the IDF must be prepared for a potential surprise attack from the Houthis, according to a Tuesday Walla report.
The terror group from Yemen is one of the biggest uncertainties in the current campaign. Despite escalating threats in recent months, the group has stayed out of the Israeli-American efforts against Iran, remaining “sitting on the fence” and not yet intervening.
The senior official has ordered a thorough examination of every launch and emerging terror route to assess any possible connections to the Houthis. The official further warned that, with the assistance of Iran, the Houthis have rebuilt their ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities, which could potentially reach Israel.
Opinions within the security establishment are divided. Some officials believe that the Houthis are aware that, given the current geopolitical coalition, they might be seen as targeting the Americans, who are stationed throughout Israel with thousands of soldiers. Even more concerning, the Houthis could be viewed as violating the ceasefire agreement with the US, risking a potential attack from multiple directions. As a result, they are carefully managing these risks.
Israel cannot afford to lower its guard
On the other hand, some within the defense establishment argue that Israel cannot afford to lower its vigilance. There are growing concerns that the Houthis may be preparing for a surprise attack, either from the air or on the ground. To address this, the IDF has reinforced air defense and air control systems in key areas, focusing on improving monitoring, detection, and interception along the eastern border, especially given concerns about potential ground operations. Recently, Walla published videos showing the Houthis training for ground assaults on IDF positions along this border.
In response to these threats, Ground Forces Commander Maj.-Gen. Nadav Lotan, along with 96th Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Oren Simcha and other senior commanders conducted a tour of positions in the Jordan Valley and surrounding areas.
These positions were bolstered with reserve battalions that were mobilized on Saturday as part of the heightened preparedness along Israel’s borders. During the visit, they toured the division's command centers and spoke with the soldiers operating the "Jaguar," which was used for the first time on Monday in Operation Roaring Lion.
The Jaguar is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) developed by the Ground Forces. It is armed with a machine gun, equipped with surveillance cameras for both day and night operations, and remotely controlled from observation command posts.