It is known that US bases in Iraq and SE Syria have been attacked by pro-Iranian organisations, while the Yemeni Houthi rebels have declared war on Israel, launching attacks against it with drones and missiles of Iranian origin, unsuccessfully so far.
US destroyer shot down several Houthi drones
Today, according to Qatar's International Media, "a US warship in the Red Sea shot down drones launched from Yemen," noting:
Specifically, the USS Thomas Hudner, a guided-missile destroyer, shot down "multiple attack drones" launched Thursday morning from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, CENTCOM said in a post on X, formerly Twitter
Houthi:" We will continue to hurt Israel until its aggression stops"
Yemen's Houthi rebels have declared themselves part of the "axis of resistance" of Iran's allies and have fired a series of drones and missiles at Israel since the start of the Gaza war.
On Wednesday, Israel said it intercepted a "cruise missile" heading south of the country, which the Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for.
A spokesman for the Houthi armed wing, Yahya Shari, said such operations would continue "until the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank stops".
The Houthis have also threatened to target Israeli ships over the country's war with the Palestinian group Hamas, which rules Gaza.
On Sunday, the Houthis seized an Israel-bound cargo ship with an international crew of 25 at the entrance to the Red Sea.
Israel's military on Sunday said the seizure was a "very serious incident of global consequence" and a US military official said it was a "flagrant violation of international law".
US positions in the Middle East targeted
US military bases in the Middle East have also come under fire since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on October 7.
U.S. forces deployed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 66 times during that period, injuring more than 60 of their personnel, the Pentagon said.
On Wednesday, the US announced the first major retaliation against Iranian-backed armed groups targeting Iraq, striking several positions of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, south of Baghdad, killing at least eight militants.
The Iraqi government condemned the attack as an "unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty," saying the U.S. had not coordinated with it in advance."
"In the works" Israeli air strike against the Houthis
Recent attacks by Hezbollah and the Houthis against Israel have raised the ire of Tel Aviv, with the Commander of the Israeli Air Force, Lieutenant General Tomer Bar, stating that they have created a series of attack plans for enemy nations and groups across the Middle East, including an entire air operation against the Houthis in Yemen.
"As the strategic arm of the State of Israel, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is ready and operates throughout the Middle East, in all areas where necessary," said Rear Admiral Tomer before an F-15I of 133 Squadron, a Tel Nof-based unit that participated in the 1981 strike against the Osirak nuclear site in Iraq in Operation Opera.
It would have served Netanyahu's air strike against the Houthis
In conclusion, we would say that we consider it very likely that during Israel's four-day truce with Hamas, Netanyahu, in a show of force, could order an air strike against the Houthis, crushing them and bringing them up to the level of previous decades in terms of combat power.
This would have multiple recipients, first of all Hezbollah and Iran and then the international community, a sign that Israel will punish those involved in its war with Hamas, regardless of the distance, as it has done in the past by bombing an Iraqi nuclear reactor and by releasing Israeli hostages in Edebe, Uganda.
