Following Israel’s major air and missile attack on senior Houthi leaders in Sanaa, speculation has spread in Arab media about the origins of the strike and the intelligence that made it possible.

According to social media channels—though their reliability is unclear—the Israeli Navy launched shore-to-sea missiles from the Dahlak Islands, off Eritrea’s coast in the Red Sea. The islands, reportedly leased to Israel and the UAE, are said to host a joint naval base facing Yemen’s western shores, just northwest of the port of Hodeidah. This positioning would allow rapid and precise missile strikes deep into Yemeni territory.

On the intelligence side, Israeli media suggested that the IDF obtained highly specific, time-sensitive information revealing a rare opportunity to eliminate top Houthi commanders, who have been responsible for launching ballistic missiles and explosive drones at Israel. A Yemeni social media channel, citing Debka, claimed the intelligence stemmed from an Israeli-operated base on Eritrea’s highest mountain. From there, advanced surveillance systems reportedly monitor Houthi movements across Yemen and the Red Sea, supplying both tactical and strategic intelligence to the Israeli military.