Eilat Port Seizure Exercise with a Glance at Yemen's Ansar Allah

The Israeli army's holding of the Eilat Port Seizure Exercise clearly indicates that the regime is planning a large-scale military conflict with the Ansar Allah movement.

News ID: 87175

Date: 05 January 2026 - 08:38

TEHRAN (Defapress) - In recent months, the Israeli army has conducted extensive military exercises in the north and south of the occupied territories and has defined goals for itself in these exercises.

Since October 2023, after the "Al-Aqsa Storm" operation by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Israel has concluded that it can prevent strategic surprise by strengthening its military force and conducting combat exercises in the north and south of the occupied territories; but this is not the only reason for the Israeli army to conduct military exercises; rather, they are trying to prepare for a new round of confrontation with Resistance groups in the region by conducting military exercises.

One of the major challenges for the Israeli army, which is about two thousand kilometers away from Yemen, is the Ansar Allah movement. This movement has been seriously supporting the Palestinian people since October 2023 and has fired more than 200 missiles and drones at the occupied territories; also, in retaliation for these missile and drone attacks by the Ansar Allah movement, the Israeli army also carried out three major airstrikes on areas under the control of this movement, such as Sana'a and Sa'ada, and the Yemeni port of Hodeidah was bombed by the Zionist regime's army in several sorties.

In recent days, however, a new round of confrontation with the Ansar Allah movement has taken place, and the Israeli army is seeking to demonstrate its capabilities for a (possibly ground) conflict with the Ansar Allah movement by holding a drill to seize the port of Eilat. The Hebrew news site, Walla, says in this regard: The 80th Division of the Israeli army conducted its comprehensive military drill with all the military apparatuses of the Southern Command in Eilat. The exercise involved ground, air, and naval forces, and in addition to ground operations, the exercise was also carried out in the Red Sea region.

The website adds: The exercises included complex defensive and offensive scenarios, including surprise attacks by attackers from the sea and land against settlements and military positions in several areas simultaneously. The Israeli army has announced that the integration of the exercise with field operations aims to increase the readiness and ability of the forces to respond to real-world situations.

Israeli military analysts claim that Ansar Allah is likely among the serious targets of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said that the Houthis must pay a heavy price. Of course, the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement has responded to the rhetoric of Israeli political and military officials both on the ground and in the diplomatic sphere. Yemeni Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulwahid Abu Ras said in this regard: Any aggressive action by the Zionist regime against Yemen will push the regime into a complex battle that it will not be able to control.

He added: The criminal Zionist enemy, whose hands are stained with the blood of innocent Palestinian women and children and who has committed genocide and starvation crimes that are a human shame, threatens not only the countries of the region, but the entire world, and no matter how long it takes, this regime will pay the price for its crimes.

Although the new round of possible Resistance clashes with Israel is unpredictable, a ground attack on the occupied territories may be seriously considered as a scenario in the new round of military clashes between the Zionist regime and the Resistance. For this reason, Israel is trying to prepare for dangerous scenarios by holding military exercises or implementing the tactic of a preemptive attack against the Ansar Allah movement, a tactic that is not clear how beneficial it will be.

The Israeli army's Eilat port seizure exercise is directly related to the Houthis' threats in the Red Sea and their drone and missile attacks against the port; this exercise is considered a defensive and deterrent exercise against the alleged attack scenario of the Houthis and their allies.