Houthi terrorists reportedly fear 'Israeli infiltration' and arrest members of alleged Yemeni 'spy network'

The Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi terrorist militia is reportedly fearing “Israeli infiltration” within its organization that could expose its leaders to Israeli assassinations, the Arabic language paper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Sunday.

The British-based news outlet reported that the Houthis consequently carried out arrests of members belonging to a “spy network” in Yemen with alleged links to the CIA in the U.S. and Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad. 

"The enemy tasked the spies with conducting intelligence operations, including surveillance and pinpointing the locations of missiles, drones, naval forces and other military sites," the Houthis claimed, according to the Asharq Al-Awsat. Furthermore, the Houthi sources noted that the “spies” received orders to identify and locate the military and political leaders of the Houthi movement. 

The Houthis, who are highly dependent on military and financial aid from the Iranian regime, are reportedly in a state of panic after the severe blows that the Iranian-led terrorist proxy alliance has sustained after more than a year of war against the State of Israel.

With the Hamas terrorist organization largely defeated, Hezbollah forces in Lebanon severely degraded and the Assad regime in Syria dismantled, the Houthis remain Iran's last viable terror proxy actively engaged in a significant confrontation with Israel. 

Although the extent of the Houthis' intelligence capabilities remains unclear, the current arrests are reportedly intended to “spread terror” and fear within Yemeni society, deterring locals from opposing Houthi leadership. 

Houthi leaders have valid reasons to fear potential “Israeli infiltration.” Close collaboration between Israeli intelligence and the military has led to the elimination of most of the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Gaza and Lebanon.

In late September, Israel eliminated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah while he attended a meeting with senior Hezbollah leaders in the terror group’s subterranean headquarters in southern Beirut. Within just two months, Israel eliminated Hezbollah’s top three leaders, largely due to an unprecedented Israeli intelligence penetration of the Hezbollah organization. 

The Houthis have fired over 200 missiles against Israel during the past year, officially claiming solidarity with Hamas and Gaza as a pretext for the unprovoked attacks. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz recently warned that the Jewish state would target the Houthi leaders in response to the recent increase in Houthi missile attacks.

“Just as we took care of (Yayha) Sinwar in Gaza, (Ismail) Haniyeh in Tehran and (Hassan) Nasrallah in Beirut, we will deal with the heads of the Houthis in Sana’a or anywhere in Yemen,” Katz said while visiting an Israeli military aid defense operations center. “We will act both against their infrastructure and against them to remove the threat.”

The Israeli defense minister also warned the Iranian regime that “whoever sponsors the Houthi terror in Hodeida or Sana’a will pay the full price.” 

Luai Ahmed, a 31-year-old Yemeni-Swedish activist who supports Israel and embraces coexistence, recently stressed that instead of helping Gaza, the Houthi attacks on Israel are further devastating impoverished Yemen. 

"Dear Houthis, Firing missiles towards Israel is not 'helping Palestinians' – it's ruining Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East. Yours truly, A Yemeni."

While the Houthis are considered militarily weaker than Hezbollah or Hamas, an Israeli military official recently warned that the Houthis are “more technologically advanced than perceived” and should, therefore, not be underestimated.

Furthermore, the Houthi terrorist militia benefits from its location over 2,000 km (1,240 miles) from Israel, making it more challenging for the Israeli Air Force to target them with the same sustained intensity as in operations in Lebanon and Gaza.