To fill their gaping intel void on the Houthi rebels, Washington hase launched a covert intelligence war on them. But with their doctrine of silence, it is proving far harder to breach than expected, according to an investigative report published by The Cradle.
The report found that “This war does not involve drones or ballistic missiles. It is a silent, persistent, and digital invasion aimed at prying open the the Houthi rebels government’s internal cohesion through espionage, psychological manipulation, and soft-penetration tactics”.
According to corroborated testimonies gathered by The Cradle from journalists and activists across Yemen, these approaches are part of a rapidly expanding campaign of Israeli and American cyber-infiltration and recruitment.
The covert intel efforts escalated rapidly after 7 October 2023, when the Houthi rebels joined the battle in direct military support of Gaza, prompting Tel Aviv and Washington to zero in on the rebels’s control areas as a priority intelligence target.
Amid Israel’s intelligence vacuum on Yemen, Tel Aviv began compensating through complex infiltration and espionage operations. A security source tells The Cradle that “recruitment efforts start with seeking out Yemeni Jews fluent in the Sanaa dialect or other local tongues, aiming to use them as agents to gather intelligence from inside the country.”
In addition, the source highlights another growing method: mass online advertisements. These appear while browsing social media and often promise financial rewards – up to a million dollars – or information leading to Houthi leaders or data linked to “naval support operations.”
Some ads originate from suspicious Mossad-affiliated pages, but others come from official US pages like the Department of the Treasury or the US Embassy, under the guise of “protecting maritime interests” or ensuring global navigation security.
“The goal,” the security source says, “is to collect intelligence on specific areas or targets related to the active naval front – anything connected to Houthis’ locations in the Red Sea arena.”
Their primary tasks included monitoring sensitive military sites, gathering detailed intelligence on naval forces, and collecting technical and operational data on missiles and drones.
They also carried out sabotage and assassination operations, transmitted coordinates to facilitate airstrikes, and used encrypted devices, advanced spyware, and satellite communication systems that were difficult to trace by traditional means.
The networks operate under various covers – diplomatic, humanitarian, economic, and academic – serving the intelligence interests of the CIA and Mossad.
In recent years, suspicious activity has surged in the media sector. Operating under attractive slogans, these efforts mask more dangerous agendas. Journalists describe repeated targeting patterns: NGOs and cultural institutions, workshops in closed hotel venues, surveys asking suspicious questions about political affiliations, post-session invitations for private follow-ups, and informal offers to fund directed investigations.
Some even received travel invitations or proposals to join international media projects – only to later discover they served foreign agendas.
Most of these initiatives were funded by US-linked entities, often channeled through intermediary countries, embassies, or regional cultural arms. One group, operating under the name “Labs,” was exposed by Yemeni intelligence for conducting direct espionage operations while posing as a development media outfit.
According to Houthi rebels’ security agencies, between 2015 and March 2024, more than 1,782 spy cells were dismantled and 25,665 individuals arrested for foreign intelligence collaboration. In January 2025, authorities revealed the arrest of a spy ring working for British MI6 and Saudi intelligence, aimed at sabotaging Yemen’s support for Gaza.
Days earlier, a joint CIA-Mossad cell was captured in Saada, targeting drone facilities and command centers. The most significant operation came in May 2024 with the dismantling of “Unit 400,” a US-Israeli spy network operating on Yemen’s western coast.
In response to these layered threats, Sanaa's Ministry of Information, controlled by the Houthi rebels, launched a public awareness campaign titled “Midri” – Yemeni slang for “I don't know” – across platforms like Telegram, X, Facebook, and Instagram.
The campaign urges citizens not to disclose sensitive information online. One dedicated account regularly posts videos warning against phone tapping, phishing, and the risks of satellite services like Starlink, which officials claim could be exploited by hostile militaries.