Daily Alert Archives

The Houthis Are a Strategic Threat

(Israel Hayom) Prof. Eyal Zisser - Following Oct. 7, the Houthis attacked Israeli ships in the Red Sea and launched drones and missiles toward Israel. At first, the Yemeni threat was dismissed as a nuisance, especially given the immediate threats Israel faced from Gaza and Hizbullah in Lebanon. However, it has become clear that Yemen is a significant battleground where Israel must establish dominance to restore deterrence. The Houthis have become a tangible and escalating danger. Disrupting shipping in the Red Sea has shut down Israel's Eilat Port. The Houthis are rooted in Yemen's Zaidi Shiite minority, which constitutes 30% of the country's population. This demographic similarity mirrors Hizbullah in Lebanon, another Shiite minority that wields outsized power. Although the Palestinian cause holds little genuine interest for the Houthis, they exploit it to bolster their regional influence and rally support across the Arab world, including among Sunni populations. Nevertheless, their stated goals include an uncompromising fight against their enemies in the Arab world, the West, Israel, and even Jews globally. Merely targeting the Houthis is not enough; their rule must be toppled entirely. Effectively countering the Houthis requires escalating military pressure while forming a local coalition, akin to the approach used against ISIS, built around the 70% of Yemenis who oppose the Houthis. The writer is a lecturer in the Middle East History Department at Tel Aviv University.
2024-12-31 00:00:00
Full Article