When Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing numerous civilians and taking some as hostages, the Middle East momentarily froze before dividing along the lines of the conflict. While most countries in the region remained neutral or effectively supported Israel, Yemen’s Houthi movement initiated a military operation with an uncertain outcome.
In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, it quickly became evident what fate awaited the Gaza Strip. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to deal with the “human animals” in Gaza, a promise that was grimly fulfilled. The Gaza Strip was reduced to rubble, with tens of thousands of children among the dead. The International Criminal Court issued warrants for both Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, holding them accountable for alleged war crimes.
Amid the escalating conflict, Yemen’s Houthi movement entered the fray, launching missiles and drones at Israel to halt attacks on the Palestinian enclave. The Houthis escalated further, targeting ships in the Red Sea and disrupting global trade. This prompted the United States and the United Kingdom, with UN authorization, to launch operations against the Houthis in support of Israel.
The Houthis: A Movement Without a Clear Plan
Many observers attributed the Houthis’ actions to Iranian influence. Western sources claimed the Houthis were acting under Tehran’s directives, as Iran is alleged to control the Ansar Allah movement, as the Houthis call themselves.
While Iranian influence on the Houthis is undeniable—evident in the rapid advancements in their missile and drone technology—it would be incorrect to suggest Tehran fully controls them. Of all the groups within the so-called "Shia Crescent"—spanning Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen—the Houthis are the least loyal to Tehran. Their alignment with Iran stems more from shared adversaries—Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and now Israel—than from ideological allegiance.
The Houthis are a coalition of tribes operating differently from Iran, Gaza, or Egypt. While they have adopted some of Hezbollah's guerrilla tactics, their behavior is predominantly shaped by tribal dynamics. Additionally, remnants of Yemen’s fragmented army, which collapsed after the Houthi uprising, have joined their ranks, making their actions unpredictable to many.
Their decision to support the Palestinians by entering into conflict with Israel has elevated the Houthis into a significant regional actor. Both sides have inflicted heavy damage on each other without backing down. The Houthis claim to have deployed hypersonic ballistic missiles capable of traveling 2,000 kilometers in just 11 minutes. In response, Israel has bombed Yemeni ports, airfields, and energy infrastructure.
The Houthis may lack a coherent strategy in this war, but they have a clear objective: they demand an end to Israel’s attacks on Gaza as a condition for ceasing their strikes on ships and Israeli targets. However, Israel, the U.S., and the UK have shown no willingness to make concessions. Even so, all parties understand that resolving the Houthi problem is no simple task, and any misstep could exacerbate the situation.
How to Stop the Houthis?
The Houthis’ attacks do not pose a critical threat to the Israeli military, but their defiance represents a broader challenge to Israel and the U.S. The actions of the world’s poorest Arab nation could inspire others in the region to resist, a prospect that remains unthinkable in much of the Arab world today.
Thus, addressing the Houthi issue is a priority for Tel Aviv and Washington, where patience is wearing thin. But what more can be done in Yemen that hasn’t already been tried in the past decade? Yemen has endured civil war, foreign military intervention, infrastructure destruction, airstrikes, naval blockades, mercenaries, sanctions, and a crippling humanitarian crisis.
Israel is not relenting. Recently, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz openly acknowledged Israel’s role in the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and issued threats against the Houthis.
“Today, as the terrorist organization Houthis fire rockets at Israel, I have a clear message for them: We defeated Hamas, we defeated Hezbollah, we blinded Iran’s defense systems, and we struck hard at the axis of evil. We will deliver a crushing blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen as well,” Katz declared. “We will destroy their strategic infrastructure and eliminate their leaders, just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon. We will do the same in Hodeidah and Sana’a.”
Similar warnings have been issued by Danny Danon, Israel’s UN ambassador, who, at the end of December, delivered a “final warning” to the Houthis, urging them to cease their attacks on Israel.
Morality and Politics
While the Houthis present challenges to the military forces of Israel, the U.S., and the UK, the balance of power is unmistakably tilted. Nevertheless, a full-scale deployment of ground troops seems unlikely. Instead, external forces may back factions in Yemen’s fractured landscape, particularly in Aden, home to the internationally recognized government. Clashes between Houthi forces and those aligned with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council have already reignited, with the latter even proposing a re-division of Yemen into two states.
The Houthis’ support for Hamas has placed them in a precarious position. However, unless ground forces enter the fray, the movement is likely to persist despite Israeli threats to target their leaders. Ironically, such threats might strengthen the Houthis, as they frame their actions as a moral obligation to support their Sunni Arab brethren in Palestine.
In this context, it is striking that the world’s poorest Arab state speaks of morality. In contrast, religious leaders and political figures across the Arab world remain silent, and much of the West turns a blind eye to the suffering in Gaza.
The Houthis’ defiance raises uncomfortable questions about those who react with outrage to caricatures or book burnings but remain passive in the face of child deaths. Ultimately, it also forces reflection on what kind of world Arabs envision and what values they uphold. These questions have lingered long before the rise of the Houthis and their objectives. Devastated Yemen remains the loudest Arab voice, and that reality speaks volumes.
The article was previously published on the news portal nap.ba.
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