Israeli Channel 14 revealed on Saturday evening that Tel Aviv has initiated what it called the “Assassination Battle in Yemen,” referring to a series of precise military operations aimed at high-ranking commanders of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, amid escalating tensions between Israel and the Tehran-led axis in the region.

According to the report, Israel has compiled—together with Western intelligence agencies—an initial list of key Houthi figures considered part of the regional "proxy war network" linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The list includes:

• Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi – Leader of the Houthi movement

• Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser al-Atifi – Defense Minister in the unrecognized Houthi government

• Maj. Gen. Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Ghamari – Chief of Staff

• Maj. Gen. Abdul Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi – Brother of the group’s leader and a top field commander

• Maj. Gen. Abu Ali al-Hakim – Head of Military Intelligence

• Mohammed Ali al-Houthi – Member of the Supreme Political Council

• Mohammed al-Bukhaiti – Governor of Dhamar and a key political figure

• Abdul Majid al-Houthi – Chairman of the General Authority of Endowments

• Yusuf al-Fishi – Senior political and military leader

The channel emphasized that the recent airstrikes on key targets in Sanaa may mark the beginning of a broader strategy to cripple the Houthi military leadership and deter Tehran from expanding its regional influence through armed proxies.

Channel 14 described the operation as a "new phase of direct deterrence," suggesting that these high-level assassinations are meant to send a clear message to Iran that Israel is willing to expand its military campaign deep into the heart of Tehran’s influence zones in the Middle East.

The list of targets is expected to grow and may include other figures accused of planning or facilitating attacks on Israeli or international commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.