Tel Aviv (South24)

The Israeli Intelligence website “Debka File” revealed that Israel launched an airstrike against an Iranian military base in the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa on August 7th. 

“Debka File” quoted military sources that “Iran seeks to avenge the airstrike Israel conducted on Aug. 7th that destroyed its key Yemen military base at Al-Hafa on the Naqam Mountain, west of the capital Sanaa”.

The military website didn’t disclose further details about the alleged attack according to the report issued last Monday and seen by “South24”.

“South24” published breaking news on its Twitter page about hearing the voices of bombings on the evening of August 7th in Sanaa according to local sources there. The incident occurred concurrently with the Israeli attack against the Islamic Jihad Movement in Gaza.

Later, the Saudi channel, Al-Arabiya, said that 6 Iranian and Lebanese experts and dozens of Houthi militia elements were killed by the Al- Hafa Camp explosions.

However, Al-Arabiya claimed that the incident was a result of the explosion of a Houthi ballistic missile during its re-installation near a training site in Al- Hafa Camp. According to the Saudi channel, this caused the explosion of a laboratory and an armory affiliated with the Houthis. 

Earlier, the Israeli “Channel 14” said: “After Aviv Kochavi, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, announced last week that the Israeli Army attacked a third state during operation “Breaking Dawn”, the attack thus was implemented in Yemen. 

Israeli concerns

On Wednesday, Hebrew media outlets disclosed Israeli concerns about being targeted by the Houthis through coordination with Hezbollah. 

The website of the Israeli TV channel (I24) said that a senior security official told its correspondent that “the real danger that Israel faces lies in Yemen and that the possibility of targeting Israel by the Houthis through coordinating with Hezbollah became a reality”. 

The security official added that “Hezbollah deceives Israel by highlighting the Northern front but Israel considers the possibility of opening a southern front through the Houthi drones”. 

Previously, Houthi commanders expressed their readiness to attack Israel. During the latest war on Gaza, the Houthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussin Al-ezzi called to open the way for their fighters to destroy Israel. 

At earlier time, the Houthi Leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said: “Sanaa won’t hesitate declaring Jihad against the Israeli enemy if the latter commits a foolish act against the Yemeni people. We won’t hesitate for a while to deliver the harshest possible blow to target the very sensitive goals within the enemy’s entity”. 

“Debka File” said that “Tehran instructed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah, to gear up for a fresh round of fighting with Israel with the object of derailing any possible resolution of the maritime dispute between Lebanon and Israel”.

It added that “Iran sees four benefits in stirring up a fresh Middle East war” as shown below:

- The Israeli Defense Forces will be tied up by the fighting in Lebanon – too much so to be free to launch an offensive on Iran’s nuclear facilities. In other words, Hezbollah would act as Tehran’s hired mercenary for pre-empting an Israell strike against Iran.

- For Tehran, Israel’s military feats in Operation Sunrise against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, was not the last word. Jihad is on standby to go into action against Israel that would be timed to coincide with the Hezbollah offensive.

- Iran is burning to avenge the air strike Israel conducted on Aug. 7 that destroyed its key Yemen military base at Al Hafa on the Naqam Mountain, west of the capital Sanaa.

- Iran calculates that Israel lacks the military resources for defending all its oil and gas platforms in the eastern Mediterranean. This perceived vulnerability is seen as a chance to inflict serious pain on Israel, economically as well as militarily.