A new element in the Middle East conflict: The Houthis from Yemen are ready to attack Israel from Lebanon and Syria

Protesters, predominantly Houthi supporers, rally to celebrate the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on the day it went into effect, in Sanaa, Yemen
Photo: Reuters

Israel’s defense establishment is intensifying preparations for a possible multi-front confrontation involving Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran, and Houthi militias in Yemen, according to security officials, ‘Yemen on Line’ reports.

The Houthis, who have previously targeted Red Sea shipping lanes, are now being factored into Israel’s threat assessments as potential partners in a wider regional escalation.

A possible ground Houthi invasion of northern towns from Syrian territory

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has said that Israel is not on a path to peace with Syria, claiming that forces, including Yemen’s Houthi movement, are studying a possible ground invasion of northern towns from Syrian territory.

In a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on the evening of Wednesday, 27 November, Katz ruled out that Israel is “on the right track” toward peace with Syria, attributing this to the presence of forces inside Syrian territory that are considering a ground “invasion” of population centers in the Golan Heights, according to Israel’s public broadcaster (Kan).

Katz said the Houthis are among the forces operating in Syria and are seen as a “ground invasion threat” to areas in northern Israel from Syria, adding that Israel is taking this scenario into account when planning the defense of its northern borders.

The head of the Golan Regional Council, Uri Kellner explained that the Israeli army must continue to entrench its control over the buffer zone and the summit of Mount Hermon, reinforce its deterrent power, and ensure an immediate response to any scenario.

He added that civil defense must be strengthened in Qasrin, a border area with the Golan that is administratively part of Quneitra province in southern Syria.

Netanyahu attacks al-Sharaa

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said that Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, “returned from Washington puffed up”, adding that al-Sharaa “has started doing everything Israel will not accept”.

According to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan on 21 November, Netanyahu sharply attacked al Sharaa during a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet.

Netanyahu said that al Sharaa is seeking to bring Russian forces to the Syrian Israeli border, following his visit to the United States and his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

A joint delegation from the Syrian and Russian defense ministries carried out a field tour of several military points and positions in southern Syria.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on 17 November, the visit aimed to review the situation on the ground within the framework of ongoing cooperation between the two sides.

Houthis are preparing

Defense Minister Israel Katz’s recent disclosure in a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hearing on the Syrian-Israeli border, revealing that Israel is preparing for a scenario in which Houthi forces attempt to enter the Golan from Syria, marks an important milestone in the ongoing confrontation between Israel and the Houthis, ‘The Jerusalem Post’ writes.

The Syrian arena is not unfamiliar to the Houthis. During the Syrian Civil War (2011-2018), Houthi operatives were deployed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force to fight Assad’s opponents as part of their combat training, and reports from that period confirmed Houthi casualties in Syria.

In September 2024, Yemeni and Syrian opposition outlets also reported that dozens of Houthi operatives specializing in missile launches had arrived in southern Syria, dispatched there by the IRGC and the Syrian army to carry out attacks against Israel.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, the Houthis have been conducting exercises simulating a ground invasion of Israel. Their media outlets have documented drills involving tunnel infiltrations, the seizure of Israeli bases, and the abduction of soldiers. These exercises include the use of drones, tanks, machine guns, missiles, and rockets, tools intended to facilitate the conquest of Israeli territory.

Their eagerness to join the fight against Israel was already evident in 2018, when their leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, declared that his forces would join Hezbollah in Lebanon should war erupt between Israel and Lebanon or between Israel and the Palestinians. Recently, it was revealed that Houthi training programs include a course called “Al-Aqsa Flood,” aimed at preparing thousands of operatives to move through Saudi Arabia or Iraq into Jordan, arm themselves there, and then invade Israel from the east.

The Israeli defense minister’s comments now suggest that the Houthis have also acquired a foothold in Syria and that the IDF is preparing for a possible incursion from that direction as well.

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