The IDF Spokesperson’s Office offered “no comment” on Thursday regarding reports that Houthi fighters have deployed to southern Syria with the aim of opening a new front against Israel using explosive drones.
“Brigade-sized forces belonging to Ansar Allah [the Houthis] were transferred to Syria via Jordan in small groups,” reported Russia’s RIA Novosti, quoting an anonymous source, on Sept. 13.
Last October, a few days after Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement, said, “Our people are ready to move in the hundreds of thousands to join the Palestinian people and confront the enemy.”
He has made similar pronouncements in the past.
The Houthis first began employing drones in 2016. They have used them with increasing effectiveness.
In July, a Houthi drone flew from Yemen to central Tel Aviv, more than 1,400 miles, before exploding in a residential neighborhood a stone’s throw from the U.S. consulate. One Israeli was killed in the attack.
In response, Israel struck several military targets in the Yemen port city of Hodeidah.
The Houthis remain undeterred. On Sunday, they fired a surface-to-surface missile, which exploded over central Israel. No injuries were reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that the Houthis would pay a “heavy price” for firing the projectile.
(JNS)