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2024-12-26 Israel-Palestine-Jordan
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Houthi drone crashes in south as terror group said to brace for major Israeli attack
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[IsraelTimes] Aircraft falls in open area near Ashkelon; Saudi news site says Houthis moving assets, troops to ‘combat readiness’ as Israeli leaders threaten increased strikes on Yemen
The Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen launched a drone at Israel on Wednesday, which the Israel Defense Forces said crashed in an open area near the southern city of Ashkelon.
Again. Very few of them actually accomplish anything except getting Israeli attention. The Houthis quickly took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have launched two drones, one at a “vital and sensitive target” in the Tel Aviv area, and the other at Ashkelon’s industrial zone.
There were no reports of injuries or major damage in the attack as sirens sounded in Ashkelon and some Gaza border communities. There were no reports of impacts in the Tel Aviv area.
The attack came as the Houthis reportedly raised their alert level in anticipation of major Israeli retaliatory strikes after Israeli leaders ramped up threats against the terror group amid a week of near-daily ballistic missile and drone launches targeted central Israel.
The London-based, Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported that Houthi leaders have stopped attending regular meetings and are avoiding traditional means of communication out of fear that Israel will strike leadership targets.
*Snicker* Have they given up their pagers yet? According to the report, Houthi officials understand that the intensity of Israeli strikes will increase, and have begun moving assets away from Sana’a and Hodeidah, where Israel has attacked previously.
The Saudi outlet also reported that the precautionary measure have caused a rift within the Iran-backed group’s leadership, with some senior officials feeling like they are out of the loop of decision-making for both internal and external affairs.
The report also said many Houthi officials are in favor of making concessions to “local, regional and international parties to avoid the fate of Hezbollah and the Bashar al-Assad regime.”
What on earth does that mean? According to the report, these officials fear a major Israeli or international campaign could cripple their military and open the door for an escalation in the decade-long civil war between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government of Yemen.
The Hebrew-language Walla news site reported Wednesday that Houthi fighting units received a notification to raise their alert level to the highest degree in recent days, and have begun moving combat forces to the front lines of confrontation with the Yemeni Armed Forces.
A lovely idea. WAITING FOR TRUMP TO TAKE OFFICE
While Israel is mulling carrying out attacks deep inside Yemen and targeting Houthi leaders as it looks to deliver an actual significant blow to the Iran-backed group, the Ynet news site reported Wednesday that there was little hope in Jerusalem that any such attack would halt the missile and drone strikes.
As such, Israeli officials have discussed plans to escalate strikes with their US counterparts, whom the report said were on board.
Yet the news site quoted unnamed sources as saying that Israel would only be able to intensify its attacks to the level needed to beat back the Houthis once US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
“The Houthis will pay a heavy price, there will be a ratcheting up of Israeli attacks,” an unnamed source was quoted as saying. “But it’s nothing compared to what will happen once Trump enters office. The Americans are planning to impose an embargo on them and sanctions.”
According to the report, Israel sees the Houthis as a “hard nut to crack.”
Unlike other Iran-backed Shiite groups, which have largely been cowed by Israel’s campaigns against them, the Houthis are high on the hog thanks to their success in imposing themselves as a major player in world affairs, according to an Israeli assessment cited by Ynet.
In the past 10 days, the Houthis have launched five ballistic missiles and at least five drones at Israel,
Golly. in what the terror group says is a campaign in support of Gaza amid the ongoing war there against the Hamas terror group.
On Wednesday evening, at a Hanukkah candle lighting for Prime Minister’s Office employees in Jerusalem, Netanyahu vowed that the Houthis would suffer the same fate as Israel’s other enemies in the region.
“Today we are lighting the first candle of Hanukkah to commemorate the victory of the Maccabees of that time and the victory of the Maccabees of today,” he said. “Like we did then, we land blows at the oppressors and those who thought they would cut the thread of our life here, and this will apply to everyone.”
“The Houthis will also learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and the Assad regime and others learned, and even if it takes time, this lesson will be learned throughout the Middle East,” he promised.
Netanyahu was joined for the ceremony by Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of slain Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra.
Also on Wednesday, Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar threatened increased strikes on the Houthis in response to the repeated missile and drone attacks on Israel.
“We act forcefully wherever we are required. We have struck the Houthis in Yemen three times. We will continue and increase the pace and intensity of the attacks as much as necessary,” he said during a graduation ceremony for pilots.
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Posted by trailing wife 2024-12-26 00:00||
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