On Tuesday, following yet another air attack launched towards Israel, the spokesman for the Houthi organization in Yemen hastened to release a statement that speaks volumes. He declared, "We are the ones attacking the 'Zionist entity' for our Palestinian brothers in Gaza. We have attacked twice, and now it's the third time. We employ missiles and drones, and we will persist in carrying out these attacks until the enemy is eradicated."
According to Bloomberg, the Saudi army has heightened its state of alertness after a series of deadly clashes with the Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen in recent days. These rebels receive support from Iran and, in the past two weeks, have launched missiles and UAVs at Israel, although they have not succeeded in causing any damage to targets within the country.
ציון גולן מכין את החיילים לקראת העימות עם תימן... pic.twitter.com/gCj9yHbPc4
— דוד קשת (@david_keshet) November 1, 2023
While the Yemeni Houthis escalate tensions with Israel by firing long-range missiles, all of which have been successfully intercepted, and officially declare war on Israel, Israelis, during these tumultuous times, appear to be taking the Yemeni threat with a touch of humor. It is worth noting that many Israelis today have Yemeni Jewish ancestry, and Yemenite influences are deeply embedded in modern Israeli culture and cuisine. Consequently, Israeli civilians, and even IDF soldiers, have responded humorously to the Houthis.
For instance, Israeli lawyer Yonatan Jakubowicz tweeted, "The Houthis are nothing more than a bunch of Camel-fuckers with swords. The entity that fires cruise missiles at us from its base in Yemen is Iran. Sending planes to Yemen would be a futile endeavor. Israeli society must prepare for an existential battle against the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime, and our military and political leadership must focus on its neutralization."
הטרוריסטים החות'ים הנתמכים על ידי איראן אינם מייצגים את תימן או תושביה. במשך כמעט 8 שנים, תושבי תימן בסיוע איחוד האמירויות וסעודיה מתנגדים לחות'ים ונלחמים לשחרור ארצם משליטתם. pic.twitter.com/tgJdpevQyA
— איחוד האמירויות בעברית (@uaeinhebrew) November 1, 2023
Another Hebrew tweet pointed out, "Yemen's annual export in 2022 was approximately 97 million dollars, while the estimated cost of a ballistic missile, such as the ones they sent, is about 8 million dollars. This implies that after sending a dozen such missiles, they have effectively depleted all the revenue from an entire year's export."
Furthermore, social media posts and videos in Israel comically depict Israeli soldiers with Jewish-Yemeni heritage participating in traditional Yemeni dancing as part of their "preparations" for confronting the Houthis.
ההכרזה של הדובר הצבאי של תימן על מלחמה בישראל pic.twitter.com/3HqOVzu3iH
— עומר בבאי omer babai (@omerbabai) October 31, 2023
However, it's essential to emphasize that despite the humorous response, the Israeli security establishment is taking the Houthi threat from Yemen seriously and plans to respond when deemed appropriate. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated earlier this week, "We are prepared in this area, just as we are prepared in every area of the State of Israel for defense, and we also know how to launch an offensive when and where we decide – against any security threat to the State of Israel, wherever it may arise." He made this statement in reference to the interception that took place tonight in the sky of the Red Sea, which he noted occurred far from the city of Eilat. He emphasized, "No danger to civilians was detected, and no intrusion into Israeli territory was detected."
