Israel warned Houthis twice this week to evacuate: they didn't but IDF held back, anyway

They're a great bunch of guys, once you get to know them

The Middle East is serving up another heaping helping of "what the flock is going on, David?" with a side of Houthi missile madness. 

Twice this week, Israel’s IDF played the responsible adult, warning Yemeni civilians to get out of Dodge after Houthi missile attacks sent Israelis scrambling for shelters. But then, in spite of the humanitarian warning, when the civilians didn't leave, Israel didn’t drop the hammer. 

BECAUSE ISRAEL IS THE GOOD GUY!

Sunday kicked off with Houthi missiles lighting up the sky, forcing Israelis to scramble and bunker down. The IDF, ever the good neighbor, told folks in Yemen to clear out of places like Ras Isa Port, Hodeidah Port, and Al-Salif Port so that they could summarily destroy them.

IDF Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee was crystal clear: “Due to the terrorist Houthi regime’s use of seaports for its terrorist activities, we urge all those present at these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your safety until further notice.” But as mentioned, Israel didn't follow through with a strike because they don't intentionally kill civilians, like their enemies do.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's office and the military are zipping their lips tighter than a liberal at a Second Amendment rally. Sources are tossing out guesses like a Trump tee-shirt event. 

One theory: Israel’s trying to save a few shekels by not blowing up Houthi targets every time they act up. Another? They’re keeping the skies quiet to avoid embarrassing footage of explosions while President Trump swaggers through the Middle East. Optics, baby. My theory is that they don't want to kill un-Houthi-like Houthis.

Speaking of Trump, he’s out here making deals like it’s “The Art of the Deal: Yemen Edition.” On Tuesday, from the Oval Office, he announced a shiny new agreement with the Houthis. The gist? The U.S. stops bombing them, and they promise to quit playing pirate with trade routes. One small problem: according to an Israeli source, Trump didn’t bother ringing up Bibi Netanyahu before shaking hands with the terror crew. 

Meanwhile, the Houthis are still lobbing missiles at Israel, which get swatted out of the sky by Arrow interceptors and American THAAD systems. No direct hits, but one woman got banged up rushing to a shelter. 

And just to keep things spicy, Mahdi al-Mashat, the head of Yemen’s Houthi Supreme Political Council, declared last week that his terror squad’s gonna keep firing at Israel, ceasefire be damned, because of the Gaza situation. Bold move for a group that’s basically a speed-bump for U.S. and Israeli firepower.

So here we are, folks: Israel’s playing chess while the Houthis are chucking rocks, and Trump’s rewriting the rulebook without telling his allies. Just another day in the Middle East, where the only thing predictable is the chaos.

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