Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram warned on Thursday that Yemen’s Houthis, or Iran-backed militias in Iraq, could try to infiltrate Israel by land through the eastern border. Speaking at a strategy workshop for dozens of deputy directors general from government ministries and security agencies, he called the eastern sector “the most sensitive area today from a security perspective.”
Baram said, “The militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen are absolutely a threat. Even if they are far away, they have the capability to infiltrate Israel on the ground.” He added that the eastern frontier is Israel’s most exposed security arena right now.
The article says this concern is not new in the security establishment. The Houthis have tried to offset distance by working closely with the so-called Axis of Resistance, especially pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria. Houthi leader Abdul-Malik previously said, “We will surprise Israel on the ground as we surprised it at sea.”
The report cites a September 2024 account that about 50 Houthi fighters, specialists in missile launches, were brought to southern Syria under the protection of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the Syrian army, with the aim of attacking Israel from short range. It also notes that during the Syrian civil war, Houthis were sent to fight alongside Bashar al-Assad as part of their Iranian training. According to a study by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, since the start of the Gaza war the Houthis have carried out a series of drills simulating attacks inside Israel, including one exercise in which infantry and armored units rehearsed striking Israeli targets.
