In bid to win over Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu may strike Yemen before elections
Attacks on Iran or its Yemeni proxy before the elections cannot be ruled out, but the Israeli prime minister appears more inclined to support Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in Yemen.
TEL AVIV — A renewed military confrontation with either Iran or the Houthis before Israel’s Oct. 27 elections cannot be ruled out, an Israeli security source told Al-Monitor. Such a move could improve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection prospects, the security source said.
However, the source said that developments over the past 48 hours suggest Netanyahu may now be leaning toward a strike in Yemen rather than an attack on Iran, which had dominated discussions until recently.
“Although his camp’s position in the polls has improved, Netanyahu continues to fear being ousted from office. Therefore, postponing the elections because of some kind of military flare-up, whether against Iran, the Houthis or any other adversary, does not scare him. It may even encourage him,” a senior Israeli political source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “And even if it does not lead to a postponement of the elections but merely pushes security issues to the top of the agenda, it will help Netanyahu remind the Israeli public of what he portrays as the glory days of the war against Iran and Hezbollah. That would benefit him electorally — at least, that is what he believes,” the source added.
A poll published by the Institute for National Security Studies in September found that 68% of Israelis believe the country will be forced to resume the war with Iran, compared with 14% who said they did not expect a resumption of hostilities.
