Houthis: We stand ready to restart war if Israel does

The Hezbollah-affiliated paper al-Akhbar reported today (Thursday) that Houthi rebels are waiting for a signal from terrorist groups in Gaza to renew missile and drone launches against Israel, in the wake of threats from both President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to renew the war in the Gaza Strip on Shabbat.

Sources speaking to the Lebanese news outlet said that Houthi rebel forces are on high alert to carry out "military actions" deep inside Israel if Israel ends the ceasefire in Gaza, and that they are closely coordinating their actions with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad regarding the implementation of the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has been notable for the absence of any threats to renew the war in Lebanon in the event the ceasefire is broken in the south. Hezbollah began assisting Hamas on October 8 with harassing missile and rocket fire, though it refused to launch its own invasion of the north alongside Hamas' invasion of the south, ostensibly because Hamas gave it too little notice.

The Houthis are the last remaining pro-Iranian proxy force ready and able to continue to attack and harass Israel in support of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as Iran and its forces have retreated from Syria, and pro-Iranian Iraqi militias have since gone quiet due to heavy pressure from Iran and from Iraq and the United States.

The Houthis launched their war against Israel shortly after October 7, blockading shipping in the Red Sea even remotely related to Israel and launching missiles and drones at Israel itself. At first, Israel stayed on the defensive against the Houthis while focusing on other fronts, shooting down the missiles and drones and leaving the blockade to US-led forces.

However, after a number of drones and missiles broke through Israeli defenses and caused casualties, the IDF launched four increasingly intense air strikes on Houthi-held strategic installations, including the ports of Hodeidah and Ras Isa and the Sana'a International Airport. Should war renew, Israel will likely launch more.