Israel’s intelligence Mossad chief David Barnea has been pushing Israel’s leadership to concentrate on attacking Iran as a way to stem attacks from the Houthi rebels, according to reports Wednesday, as senior officials hinted that attacks against the Iran-backed Yemeni group were set to escalate in the near future.
The stance reportedly adopted by Barnea contrasts the opinion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, who prefer to keep carrying out strikes against the Houthis themselves rather than against Iran, Times of Israel reported.
Barnea raised the option during a series of discussions on the lack of results from three earlier rounds of strikes in Yemen.
Mossad chief believes it would be more effective to go after Iran, which funds and arms the Shiite rebel group, which has long enjoyed Tehran’s support.
“We need to go head-on against Iran,” he told security officials, according to Channel 13.
“If we only attack the Houthis, it’s not certain that we’ll be able to stop them.”
Netanyahu, according to Channel 13, disagreed with Barnea’s assessment, and instead surmised that Iran was “a different issue, which will be dealt with at the appropriate time.”
Netanyahu’s estimation was shared by senior members of the security establishment, Channel 13 reported.
bd-pratidin/GR
