Yemen’s Houthis ban mobile phones for leaders

Named as Eduard Yusupov, the statement from Israeli Police said: “Based on the findings of the investigation, it can be said that Yusupov was operated by Iranian intelligence elements.”

He is said to have agreed to carry out the missions starting last October, for a fee of tens of thousands of dollars paid in crypto currency after being approached by a person who identified himself as an Azerbaijani citizen living in Dubai.

“[Yusupov] had carried out numerous missions for him, including surveillance and photography missions related to infrastructure and security sites in Israel, including IDF bases, the Haifa Port, the Haifa refineries, and the Nuclear Research Center,” the statement added.

It shows a recurring pattern in the actions of Iranian intelligence, using agents of Azeri origin who recruit via social media networks, targeting in this case and others, Israeli citizens of Caucasian origin.

Israeli intelligence analyst Ronen Solomon, said it shows the breadth of languages Iranian operatives are working with to target weaker elements of Israeli society who often come from lower economic brackets or less integrated groups.

He wrote on X: “Both in Israel and when traveling abroad, don't think that Iranian intelligence only speaks Persian. They may sit next to you in a hotel or casino and chat in your language as well.”

Last month, 73-year-old Israeli, Moti Maman, received a 12-year sentence for spying for Iran and plotting to assassinate Israeli leaders including the country’s PM and defense chief, in what the prosecution called a “deterrence” punishment as the number of Iran-backed plots foiled shot up by 400% alongside Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and conflict with Iran’s allies in the region.

“During the year, 13 serious espionage affairs by Israelis were exposed and thwarted for the Iranian intelligence agencies, and serious indictments were filed against 27 Israelis,” a statement said.

“Iran has a big problem to bring supplies and physical support to Gaza now because it’s closed so nobody can get anything inside, like ammunition,” said Shlomo Mofaz, the head of the Meir Amit Intelligence and Research Center in Israel

Speaking to Iran International, he said: “Maybe some things are being smuggled with the aid, or food, or from Egypt by UAVs, but mainly they have a problem. The main focus of Iran is the West Bank, where there are a few ways they are supporting Hamas and other groups, mainly from Jordan where there is a long border and no fence in many places.”

Since Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 mostly civilians and taking 251 hostages to Gaza, the Israeli military has locked down the strip’s borders amid the longest Gaza war since the Islamist group took control of Gaza in 2007.

After several weeks of ceasefire, last week, Israel resumed military operations in Gaza in a bid to put pressure on Hamas to release the dozens of remaining hostages in the strip.

In 2022, now assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh told Al Jazeera that his group had received $70 million in military help from Iran. "We have rockets that are locally manufactured but the long-range rockets came from abroad, from Iran, Syria and others through Egypt," he said.

The US State Department estimated in 2020 that Tehran’s support for Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas, reached $100 million a year.

“The smuggling to the West Bank starts in Syria to Jordan but since the change in regime, it’s a bit harder there too as Israel has more control over what’s going on in southern Syria, but there are still some groups continuing,” added Mofaz, a leading intelligence expert in Israel.

However, financial aid is continuing through the likes of Bitcoin so Iran-backed armed groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the West Bank can buy arms on the black market.

He explained that much of the activity involves collaboration with Arab criminal groups inside Israel, who help smuggle ammunition into the West Bank. While some weapons are also assembled using commercially available materials, he noted this is less significant.

He added that Iran continues to smuggle dollars, but doing so has become more difficult. With no IRGC presence currently in Syria, the supporting infrastructure has been greatly reduced since the fall of the regime.

Just last month, Israel's defense minister announced that its war on Iran-backed groups in the occupied West Bank could go on as long as another year as Tehran refocuses its efforts in the wake of the Gaza war.

Speaking about the operation named 'Iron Wall, Defense Minister Israel Katz said: "We will not return to the reality that existed in the past. We will continue to clear refugee camps and other terrorist hotbeds in order to dismantle the battalions and terrorist infrastructures of extremist Islam that were built, armed, financed and trained by the Iranian axis of evil."

Mofaz said that from the Israeli side, security and military agencies have been working hard in the West Bank. “The intelligence is very good, much better than it was in Gaza before the war,” he said.

Overall, Mofaz says Iran’s allies, known as the ‘axis of resistance’, in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza have been significantly weakened, aided by the fall of the Assad government in Syria which has taken away a major military stronghold for Iran abroad.

“Iran has less air defense to defend from US and Israeli airstrikes after Israel’s last attack,” Mofaz said. "The change in the regime in Syria is another issue. The routes on the ground to Lebanon have been closed. By air, that’s also difficult from Damascus now.

The IRGC's influence has been significantly curtailed since Assad's ousting from Syria. Israel has repeatedly targeted the Syria-Lebanon border, particularly the tunnel network, and the Lebanese army now controls the country's borders following the US-France brokered November ceasefire.

As Iran explores Iraq and Turkey as alternative routes, these options are drawing increased attention, particularly after Israel exposed the Turkey route and warned against its development.

Regional experts broadly agree on the weakening of the so-called axis. However, Arman Mahmoudian, a GNSI research fellow and USF lecturer, argued in a January Stimson Institute article that a weakened Iran could increase the nuclear threat.

”There is growing concern that a weakened and increasingly vulnerable Iran, governed by a survivalist regime, may see no alternative but to weaponize its decades-long nuclear program,” he warned.

“While the Axis of Resistance is now significantly weakened, its diminished state still presents considerable dangers for the United States’ position in the Middle East and the broader stability of the region. A fragile Iranian regime, desperate to survive, may become an even greater source of instability.”

"A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF [Israeli Air Force] prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol," a statement from the Israeli military said referring to the incident shortly before 4am Thursday.

The Houthis said the missile was a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile in a statement on their Telegram channel after having been banned from X in the wake of the US returning the group to the list of foreign terrorist organizations in January.

The Houthis said Thursday morning’s missile was aiming at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, forcing flights including those from London and Abu Dhabi to re-route and raising questions about the recent return of commercial flights to the Jewish state.

The latest missile attack on Israel comes amid US strikes on Houthi infrastructure including in the capital they control, Sanaa, as President Donald Trump vowed to crack down on the Iran-backed militants currently targeting US assets in the Red Sea, in addition to its ongoing blockade of commercial shipping.

On Monday, Trump threatened to hold Iran accountable for any future Houthi attacks, warning of “dire” consequences in spite of military and political figures in Tehran maintaining that the group operates independently.

On Wednesday, he said it is not enough for Iran to reduce its support of Houthis and all arms provisions must end, citing reports that Tehran has rolled back its supplies to the Yemen group.

The Houthis' military actions were triggered by the resumption of fighting in Gaza this week as Israel vows to use military force to bring back the nearly 60 Israeli hostages, many of whom have been killed in captivity since being held by Iran-backed Hamas since October 7 2023, after a US-brokered ceasefire collapsed.

In allegiance with Hamas, the Houthis have carried out over 100 attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea region since November 2023 along with dozens of missile and drone attacks directly targeting Israel. After a near two-month lull, they have resumed attacks, notably targeting Iran's regional adversary.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed Houthis claims that they had fired a ballistic missile towards Israel, warning they would expand their range of targets in the coming days.

In the largest military operation since Trump's return to office, the Pentagon reported striking 30 targets in Yemen since Saturday. Subsequently, the Houthis claimed multiple direct attacks on the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea, beginning Sunday.

In a Foreign Policy article, Royal United Services Institute fellows Burcu Ozcelik and Baraa Shiban argued that while Iran’s largest ally Hezbollah has been weakened, the Houthis have stepped into the breach.

“While Hezbollah has retreated to rebuild its military capabilities, the Houthis have shown resolve to step up, issuing ultimatums to Israel and acting brazenly to consolidate their domestic grip on power,” they said.

“The Houthis see themselves as playing the role that Hezbollah once played.”

The Yemen experts say that additionally, the Houthis have increased their footprint in Iraq, with their members being embedded with Shiite Iraqi militias, which has also helped them created new and plug into existing shell companies to benefit from the Iraqi financial system that operates “at the behest of Iranian interests”.

“Iran has helped the Houthis in proliferating drones and ballistic missiles. Tehran views the group as a valuable ally and will not shy from directing the IRGC’s efforts to bolster the Houthis’ capabilities even as Iran is under pressure domestically after expenditures in the billions of dollars to prop up Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Assad regime,” they added.

However, with Trump’s determination to punish Iran for the Houthis’ actions, the situation could become more complex.

“In the short term, the Houthis are gaining some recognition and can sustain if they are not facing strong military pressure—something that can change under the Trump administration,” they said.

"Reports are coming in that while Iran has lessened its intensity on Military Equipment and General Support to the Houthis, they are still sending large levels of Supplies," Trump posted on TruthSocial on Wednesday. "Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY."

The social media announcement comes a few days after another post in which he said Tehran will be held responsible for Houthi attacks and threatened the theocracy with "dire" consequences.

"Let the Houthis fight it out themselves," Trump's Wednesday message reads. "Either way they lose, but this way they lose quickly ... It’s not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated!"

Trump on Saturday ordered large-scale military strikes against dozens of targets in Yemen controlled by Tehran-backed Houthi armed group, saying the attacks aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation through shipping lanes the militants have targeted.

Fresh US air strikes hit Yemen on Monday, the Houthis' Al Masirah TV reported. The Houthi-run health ministry said on Sunday that at least 53 people were killed in the attacks.

At a Pentagon press conference on Monday, lieutenant general Alexus Grynkewich told reporters that military casualties among the Houthis were in the dozens but there were no indications of civilian casualties.

Shortly after Israel's incursion into Gaza triggered by a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the Shi'ite militant group which seized control of much of Yemen started missile and drone strikes against commercial and military vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas.

They described the effort as a blockade in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Iran and the Houthis have denied close military coordination but weapons experts have linked the Yemeni fighters' advanced arsenal of anti-ship and ballistic missiles to Iranian technology.

US forces have been locked in their most intense naval combat since World War II with the Houthis but have yet to constrain the maritime attacks.

As ceasefires have taken hold pausing combat between Israel and its badly bludgeoned Hamas and Hezbollah militant adversaries, the Houthis have become the vanguard of Tehran's network of armed affiliates in the Middle East.

The Trump administration views their continued harassment of commercial shipping as an obstacle to his fight to bring down prices for US consumers and continued but largely ineffectual targeting of US forces as a nuisance.

"Iran has played “the innocent victim” of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control," Trump said.

Trump this month demanded Iran agree new deal over its nuclear program or face military attack - an overture rejected by Iran's Supreme Leader as bullying.

Ali Khamenei warned Washington would come off worst in any confrontation, insisting that Iran had not been weakened by over a year of direct and proxy conflict with Israel.

Israel launched air strikes on the battered coastal enclave on Monday killing over 400 people according to the Hamas-run health ministry, appearing to end a two-month ceasefire brokered by the United States.

The strikes on some 80 targets aimed at Hamas mid-level and senior personnel and were over in about 10 minutes, an Israeli security official said according to an official press release.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of intransigence as talks for it to release 59 hostages seized in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel - many of them dead - floundered.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei blamed the United States for the attack, saying it had direct responsibility for "the continuation of genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories".

Hours later, the Israeli military said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, shooting it down beyond Israel's borders.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command announced it had carried out fresh air raids on the armed Houthi movement in Yemen allied to Tehran, publishing videos on X showing fighter jets taking off from an aircraft carrier.

The ceasefire in Gaza had tamped down 15 months of conflict pitting Iran and its proxies against Israel throughout the region which saw Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" much degraded, with Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah heavily hit.

Looming behind the uptick of violence, Iran has so far defied a demand by US President Donald Trump to come to a new deal over its disputed nuclear program or face a military intervention.

According to an official White House readout of a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, "the two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel."

"The leaders spoke broadly about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts," the White House added. "They further discussed the need to stop proliferation of strategic weapons and will engage with others to ensure the broadest possible application."

The remarks suggest a fresh US bid to end the war in Ukraine may see Russia attempt to head off a conflict between its Iranian ally and the United States.

Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and top Iranian officials have vowed a devastating response to any attack.

US airstrikes hit dozens of Houthi targets throughout Yemen on Saturday in a bid to halt the Shi'ite armed groups attacks on commercial shipping and its own naval vessels, which have ensnared US sailors in the most intense fighting since World War II.

Yemen's Houthi foreign minister said the group will not halt its Red Sea attacks on shipping in solidarity with the Palestinians, saying Iran did not dictate its actions.

Trump on Monday warned the United States would punish Iran for any further attacks by the Houthis, which would be treated as emanating from the Islamic Republic itself.

Iran's military said its manned fighter aircraft had chased away an armed American attack drone in the skies off the Iranian coast, state media reported on Tuesday. There was no immediate reaction by the US armed forces.

The Pentagon on Monday indicated it did not seek an open-ended campaign in Yemen nor did it seek regime change, in an apparent reference to Iran.

“We will use overwhelming lethal force until we achieve our objective. And this is a very important point, this is not an endless offensive," spokesman Sean Parnell said.

"This is not about regime change in the Middle East, this is about protecting American interests.”