One night last week, two intelligence officers picked up signals that ministers in the Houthi government were planning to meet in the rebel-controlled Yemeni capital of San’a the next day, Israeli officials said. Several hours later, Israeli jets were in the air on their way to strike a conference hall where the men were gathering to watch a speech by their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
The strike killed at least 12 government officials, including the prime minister and foreign minister, and severely injured others, according to the Houthis.
The strike, the details of which were described to The Wall Street Journal by two Israeli security officials with knowledge of the operation, is the result of efforts by Israel to improve their knowledge of the rebel group, which had been a blind spot for Israel before the Gaza war.
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