Click to see full-size image. (The Houthis’ Military Media)
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen released on July 6 footage of a live-fire exercise that was recently held by some of their units in an apparent warning to Israel and its two main backers, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The exercise was dubbed the Destructive Flood, clearly after the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, codenamed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which started the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.
During the exercise, Houthis forces mimicked an attack on Israeli military sites and settlements as well as an assault on a camp of British forces and ambush targeting a convoy of U.S. troops.
In the footage released by the Houthis, the group fighters are seen locating their targets using reconnaissance drones then attacking them with armed drones and mortars launched from well-camouflaged dugouts. The fighters are also seen firing other weapons, including sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, and maneuvering in infantry fighting vehicles and motorcycles.
Overall, the live-fire exercise highlights the Houthis’ growing offensive capabilities and their high-level of readiness. The professionalism demonstrated by the Houthis during the exercise was not surprising however considering that the group was among the first to mix advanced weapons, like drones, with bold guerilla warfare tactics and more traditional military maneuvers.
Since last November, the Houthis have attacked dozens of vessels affiliated with Israel or owned by the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in response to the Israeli war and siege on Gaza.
In addition, the group launched dozens of drones and missiles at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat and shot down six American-made combat drones over Yemen and nearby waters.
The U.S. and the UK have carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen since January in an attempt to deter the group and degrade its offensive capabilities, but to no avail.
The Houthis’ latest exercise is likely meant to warn Israel, the U.S. and the UK against taking their military adventure in Yemen any further.
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