Israel highlights regional military cooperation and intelligence focus on Yemen

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Israel considers a recent military meeting in Germany involving its Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and counterparts from several Arab countries a major achievement.

The meeting was reportedly part of efforts led by Zamir to persuade U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper of the need for greater regional cooperation to counter threats from Iran and the Houthis, while also exploring opportunities to deepen security cooperation across the Middle East.

According to Israel, Zamir briefed the chiefs of staff of the armed forces of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt on Israeli military operations across various fronts.

During the meeting, Cooper told his counterparts that the United States does not intend to withdraw its forces from the region and that fighting with Iran is continuing. The Houthi issue was also a central focus of the discussions.

Zamir returned to the issue by revealing that, since the outbreak of the October 7 war, Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate has established a special department dedicated to Yemen. The unit has both defensive and offensive capabilities and was presented as a strategic asset for the countries participating in the meeting.

According to the report, the intelligence effort is based on three main pillars.

The first involves collecting and monitoring information in cooperation with Western and Arab intelligence agencies.

The second focuses on developing a defense system capable of responding to Houthi offensive capabilities. This includes understanding the group’s ability to launch missiles and drones, carry out attacks, and disrupt maritime routes in the Red Sea.

The third pillar focuses on offensive operations.

The report attributed part of the success of Israel’s intelligence efforts to Yemeni Jews who immigrated to Israel and were recruited into the military. A specialized intelligence school focused on Yemen was established for them, training them in intelligence operations targeting the Houthis.

According to the report, their expertise has contributed to the effectiveness of Israeli air and naval strikes deep inside Yemen.