Netanyahu reportedly offers Israeli military support for regional campaign against Houthis in Yemen

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly offered Israeli military participation in a broader regional effort to counter the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, the Lebanese news outlet Al-Akhbar reported Friday, citing unnamed U.S. sources.

The report comes after the Houthis seized the Yemeni port city of al-Mokha earlier this week, near the strategically important Strait of Bab al-Mandab on the Red Sea. Much of the world’s commercial shipping passes through the strait. The Houthis, who openly call for Israel’s destruction, began attacking Israel and international commercial shipping shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on southern Israel.

The Israeli government has neither confirmed nor denied the report of potential Israeli military involvement. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Israeli official warned Friday that Houthi control of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait could be even more dangerous than the Iranian regime’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“They will be able to fire at whatever they want with anti-tank missiles. They will be able to see the ships with their own eyes,” the official told Israel's N12 News, warning that it "gives enormous power to the terror organization."

Ariel Oseran, senior Middle East correspondent for i24 News, expressed similar concerns, warning that Houthi control of the area could threaten international shipping and Saudi trade.

“This will allow them to pose a more direct threat to shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, thus increasing the threat to Saudi Arabia. A former Yemeni Military official tells me that the boasting by Yemeni government forces yesterday was actually a cover for their losses on the coastline,” Oseran assessed.

The Houthis have fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel over the past three years. Israel has responded with strikes against key Houthi sites across Yemen.

The unconfirmed report suggests that Israel could potentially join a broader regional campaign against the Houthis to prevent the group from threatening international shipping through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

Arab Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, are also concerned about the Houthi offensive near the strategic waterway.

On Thursday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) urged U.S. President Donald Trump to order strikes against the Houthis. However, Trump reportedly rejected the Saudi request to involve American forces, according to an Axios report that cited two unnamed U.S. officials.

Instead, Washington reportedly offered to provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence and targeting data on Houthi positions. There are reportedly some 200 U.S. military personnel in Saudi Arabia who could potentially assist the Saudi military.

While Saudi Arabia possesses a modern military equipped largely with U.S.-made weapons systems, it has limited combat experience and has traditionally relied on U.S. military support against external threats.

Meanwhile, the Israeli news outlet Maariv reported Tuesday that Jerusalem is monitoring the Houthi takeover of al-Mokha near Bab el-Mandeb.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and Israel Navy Commander Vice Adm. Eyal Harel warned the Houthis and the Iranian regime this week against threatening Israel.

“We removed and pushed back existential threats that had been built up against us for years,” Zamir said. “We will not allow existential threats to emerge from radical enemies, and we will not allow terrorist organizations to establish themselves along our borders.”

The IDF chief also directly addressed the Houthi offensive near Bab el-Mandeb.

“In Bab el-Mandeb, in the heart of Beirut, in Lebanon’s ports and off the coast of Gaza, we proved that the IDF’s long arm is powerful, determined and reaches everywhere to strike those who seek to harm us.”