WSJ: Houthis unlikely to repeat successful drone attack on Tel Aviv, but new attempts expected

The Wall Street Journal, analyzing information about the drone attack on Tel Aviv, cites the assessment of Taimur Khan, who is the head of Gulf operations at Conflict Armament Research, a private company based in the UK that investigates global arms trafficking.

According to Khan, the Yemeni Houthis indeed used a Samad-3 drone, similar to the Iranian KAS-04, for the attack, but it was likely a modified version with a more powerful engine. The article mentions that a Houthi representative called this drone "Yaffa," which probably indicates that the drone was prepared for a specific mission – a strike on "occupied Jaffa," referring to Tel Aviv.

Regarding the reasons why the Israeli air defense system failed to intercept the Houthi drone, the WSJ does not rule out the "human error," previously mentioned by Israeli media citing sources in the IDF.

Additionally, it is noted that the aerial target, which was detected but not intercepted, moved along the Mediterranean coast from the south at a low altitude and low speed. Apparently, no one expected the Houthis to carry out such an attack. When the drone changed course and flew toward the Tel Aviv office of the US Embassy, intercepting it with the available air defense systems was already impossible.

The article notes that it is unlikely the Houthis will be able to replicate the exact same attack, but they will make new, possibly more sophisticated attempts to attack Israel.

In this context, the WSJ refers to another article, which discusses the need for more active US military actions against the Yemeni Houthis – not only due to threats to allies but also because in response to Western, including American, arms supplies to Ukraine, the Russian leadership might provide the Houthis with more advanced weapons, including anti-ship missiles, which would pose a serious threat to the US fleet.