Israel should strike Houthi leadership, anti-Houthi Yemeni figures say

The figure urged Israel to target one of the Houthi's key military commanders, Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, who he described as the "military brain" of the Houthis.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 21, 2024 22:23

A Houthi follower wears a vest portraying the Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a parade held as part of a 'popular army' mobilization campaign by the movement, in Sanaa, Yemen February 7, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

A figure close to the anti-Houthi government told KAN on Saturday that Israel should go further than retaliatory strikes and should target the Houthi leadership as they did Hezbollah's.

Israel struck several Houthi-held parts of Yemen after the Houthis fired a drone at Tel Aviv earlier in the week. The Houthis fired a missile at Tel Aviv early on Saturday morning.

The figure is close to the anti-Houthi government in southern Yemen and said, "It seems that the recent Israeli attacks against the Houthis are not enough." 

SUPPORTERS OF Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah carry pictures of him as they gather in Sidon, following his killing in an Israeli airstrike, last month, labeled by ‘The New York Times’ as an ‘escalation.’ (credit: Ali Hankir/Reuters)

The target list

The figure urged Israel to target one of the Houthi's key military commanders, Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, who he described as the "military brain" of the Houthis.

The elimination of Hakim would be a severe blow not just to the Houthis but also to the Iranians, with whom he is close, the same source said.

He also highlighted Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the group; his brother Abd al-Khaliq al-Houthi, a senior commander; and Abdul Reza Shahla’i, the commander of the Iranian Quds Force in Yemen.

Arabic media sources have reported that the Houthi leadership has already fled from the capital, Sana'a, out of fear of assassination attempts by Israel or the United States.