'Head of the Octopus': After Hodeidah strike, Israel must look to Iran, fmr. maj.-gen says

In light of the Israeli strike in Yemen, senior Houthi official Mohammed Ali al-Houthi issued a veiled threat to Israel on his X, formerly Twitter, account on Sunday evening, following reports from the terrorist organization of launches towards Israel.

Former IDF major-general Israel Ziv spoke with Anat Davidov and Udi Segal on 103FM and shared his insights on the Yemeni arena.

"The Houthis are not exactly Hezbollah," Ziv began. "Their distance and capabilities are fundamentally different. On one hand, it can't be underestimated because they do have considerable capabilities. We know how to handle most of the fire, but that's not the problem. The problem is we're entering a multi-front situation. The head of the octopus is sitting behind, and I think he's quite pleased with this. You can't defeat the Yemenis."

Strike on Hodeidah port hurt the Houthis, but they have nothing to lose

Ziv continued, "I think that from the get-go, we took most of them down. This body has been fighting for years from caves. The strike on the port really hurts them, but they have nothing to lose. It didn't finish them off. It just made this front line more personal for them. What exactly will this lead to? Time will tell. It won't look like the North against Hezbollah. The story is they're in the process of expanding to other places while trying to harm freedom of navigation. If you want to influence the Houthis, it's not through direct attacks, but through Iran."

Later, Ziv also referred to Biden's withdrawal from the US presidential race.

"I think Biden will continue until January," he said. "In theory, the same policies should continue, but on the other hand, stepping down from the presidency reduces the pressure on him, and he can make more personal decisions. This is more about other matters than Israel. There are many things where he's a lame duck. Regarding Israel, I'm very concerned about what Netanyahu is going to do in Congress. He could show us what happens when you anger the President of the United States. We don't live according to the US election cycle. We need them in this half-year."

"What works there is really the staff working around him and his guidelines. His staff is strong enough, and his spirit is what always makes the decisions. The one working with us and greatly influencing him is, first and foremost, the Secretary of Defense. This person is in contact with our defense minister every two or three days, and the chief of staff there - in everything related to assistance and the like," he concluded.