Before Israeli fighter jets hit Houthi positions in Sanaa on Thursday, the IDF pulled off a deception meant to lull the rebels into a false sense of security, according to Israeli officials.

Israeli officials said the Houthis had been led to believe Jerusalem lacked reliable intelligence on their leadership’s movements. That assessment appears to have left senior figures exposed when the air force struck buildings in southwest Sanaa, where officials had reportedly gathered to watch a speech by the group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

The ruse echoes an apparently similar one carried out against top Iranian officials before Israel launched its unprecedented attack on the ayatollah-led regime and its nuclear installations in June, and underscores Israel’s growing reliance on psychological and intelligence warfare as it expands its campaign against the Houthis, who have lobbed dozens of missiles at Israel in recent weeks. All of the attacks were intercepted.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, who monitored the operation alongside Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, suggested the attack was aimed directly at senior leadership. Katz described it as a “strike on the firstborn,” reprising his earlier warning that “anyone who raises a hand against Israel – their hand will be severed.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)