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The Missile War in Southern Arabia: Lessons for Israel

(Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security) Dr. Uzi Rubin - The flag of the Houthi movement in Yemen sports a slogan in bold, colorful letters: "God is Great; Death to America; Death to Israel; A Curse on the Jews; Victory for Islam." The Houthi missile offensive against Saudi Arabia began in 2015. The total number of missiles fired by the Houthis against targets in Yemen and Saudi Arabia is 200-300, killing more than 110 civilians. Targets included Saudi Air Force bases, missile defense batteries, airports, seaports, oil refineries, oil pumping stations, and state symbols such as royal palaces. Targeted population centers included major Saudi cities such as Jeddah and the capital, Riyadh. Houthi forces announced in December 2017 that they had attacked the Barakah nuclear reactor currently being constructed in the UAE. They released a video clip of the takeoff of the missile used for this attack, which showed the spitting image of Iran's "Soumar" land attack cruise missile. The UAE claimed that no missile ever arrived at their nuclear reactor. The current war in Yemen resembles the Spanish civil war of the 1930s inasmuch as they are exploited by outside powers to test new doctrines, weapons and tactics in realistic battle conditions. The weapons and tactics in use in Yemen today will be employed against Israel tomorrow. The writer is founding director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization which managed the Arrow missile defense program.
2019-09-27 00:00:00
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