A former high-ranking Houthi official condemned the terror group’s attacks on Israel since October 7th as a “grave mistake.”

In an exclusive interview with Yisrael Hayom, the ex-official criticized the Houthis for putting Yemen’s civilian population, which is already beset with poverty and hunger, at risk by attacking Israel, saying that it could support the Palestinian cause via other means, such as financial assistance.

“The Houthis are exploiting tens of millions of Yemenis as human shields when they fire rockets and kill Israeli civilians,” he said. “This action will lead to the port’s bankruptcy. The core conflict is between Israel and the Palestinians; we have no direct dispute with Israel.”

He added that the Houthis don’t even have a rudimentary air defense system to protect Yemen.

“[Houthi leader] Abdul-Malik al-Houthi launches these rockets despite being unable to down even a single Israeli aircraft,” he said, adding that he fears that Israel could impose a naval and air blockade on Yemen – bringing even more suffering to civilians.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)