DOMINANT ANGLE
Jerusalem frames the Yemeni offensive within the war with Iran: the Houthis are described as a relay of Tehran, and the debate centers on arbitration between Riyadh, Washington, and the diplomatic route.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Rachad al-Alimi announced on Sunday, October 4, in a televised address, the start of military operations to retake territory still held by the Houthis (Jerusalem Post).
- 02
The Houthis have maintained the initiative on the ground after taking Bab el-Mandeb, an alternative to Hormuz, "effectively closed" by the conflict with Iran (Jerusalem Post).
- 03
Senior US officials met on Friday, October 2, at Camp David to discuss options in Iran and Yemen, according to Haaretz.
ANALYSIS
Jérusalem, October 5, 2026. Israel's government notes that the Jerusalem Post reported the announcement made on Sunday, October 4, by Rachad al-Alimi, head of the Yemeni Presidential Council backed by Riyadh, of the start of military operations to retake the territory still in the hands of the Houthis, described as "terrorists" supported by Iran. In a televised address, the leader stated: "Today, I announce the start of military operations to retake the remaining territory of the republic," in order to extend the authority of the state to the entire country.
The daily recalls the sequence of events. Saudi Arabia entered the Yemeni civil war in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition. A truce concluded in 2022 has largely held until this year, when the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks against navigation and Saudi oil infrastructure, which the newspaper presents as an overflow of the war with Iran. Regional and Western officials had indicated to Reuters that Riyadh and its Yemeni allies were preparing an assault, with the Saudis leading the air combat and the Yemeni forces leading the ground combat.
The Jerusalem Post, however, tempers the government's momentum: the Houthis have maintained the initiative on the ground, a few weeks after taking the Bab el-Mandeb strait during a lightning offensive along the coast, which saw the collapse of government forces. The newspaper emphasizes the stakes: Bab el-Mandeb, the southern exit of the Red Sea between the Mediterranean and Asia, has taken on even more importance this year as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, "effectively closed" by the conflict with Iran. It also reports Houthi gains over the past 48 hours against government and local forces.
Haaretz shifts the focus to diplomacy. Its article, dated October 5, states that high-ranking American officials met in secret at Camp David on Friday, October 2, to examine options for action in Iran and Yemen, and that their agendas were beginning to be shaped by the fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi coalition. The newspaper's title emphasizes that the Saudis are keeping an eye on the diplomatic path even as the offensive is being prepared. The available content of the article is limited and does not detail the American options or Riyadh's precise position.
The two newspapers thus converge on one point: Yemen is not being treated as an isolated war, but as a theater of the regional confrontation with Iran, where maritime security and the arbitrations of Riyadh and Washington are being played out.
