Yemen’s Houthis Target Israel
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are posing a growing threat to Israel. Since the October 2023 outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war, the Houthis—known as Ansar Allah (supporters of Allah) and whose official slogan states, “Allah is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, Cursed be the Jews, Victory to Islam”—have declared war on Israel. They have launched a barrage of long-range missiles and attack drones at the Jewish state and hijacked Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree recently threatened to prevent all Israel-bound cargo ships, regardless of national origin, from passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic chokepoint that divides the Middle East from the Horn of Africa and connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.
Israeli officials have told the Biden administration that Israel is prepared to act against the Houthis if the international community fails to do so. “Israel is giving the world some time to organize in order to prevent this, but if there will not be a global response, because it is a global issue, we will act in order to remove this naval siege,” Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi said.
In recent months, U.S. Navy warships have intercepted cruise missiles and drones launched by Houthis toward Israel and Israeli-linked commercial vessels; and a French warship destroyed Houthi attack drones that were fired from the coast of Yemen. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have also intercepted ballistic missiles fired from Yemen toward Israel.
Iran has denied any involvement. Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has claimed that the Houthis “act independently and spontaneously based on their interests and that of their people.” Houthi leaders, however, openly admitted that they coordinate their attacks on Israel with the Axis of Resistance, a network of armed groups created, funded, and operated by Iran.
“We are in complete coordination with our brothers in the axis of jihad and resistance,” Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said. “If the Americans intervene directly, we are prepared to participate in missile bombardment, marches, and military options.”
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan noted that Iran is supplying the weapons the Houthis are using against Israel. Still, the Biden administration has been reluctant to directly confront the Islamic Republic because it fears escalating the conflict in Gaza with Iran’s Middle East proxies.
Compared to Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy, Houthi capabilities to strike Israel are relatively limited. Nevertheless, Houthi attacks divert Israeli military resources away from the campaign against Hamas. “Combined with attacks from Hezbollah and from Iran-backed Iraqi and Syrian militias, it is clear that Iran and its proxies are trying to spread out the IDF’s forces and create enough global pressure to stop the Israeli ground incursion into Gaza to prevent Hamas’s decimation,” Middle East analysts Bradley Bowman and Ryan Brobst wrote.
The Red Sea, with its connection to the Suez Canal, is of vital global geopolitical and geoeconomic importance. More than 30,000 vessels transit the Gulf of Aden annually, and 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal each year. If the Houthis disrupt shipping in the Red Sea, vessels heading for Europe and Asia would need to circumvent the Suez Canal and take the longer route around the southern tip of Africa, adding 20 to 30 days and costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to Brobst, “Houthi attacks on commercial shipping are likely intended to increase calls for a ceasefire by inflicting economic damage on countries that would otherwise be uninterested in the Gaza conflict.”
