Last week, Yemen’s Houthis resurfaced and hit the headlines after the rebel group launched what it said was a hypersonic missile at central Israel. The missile, claimed by Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, to be an advanced surface-to-surface hypersonic missile, triggered sirens across the country, and hit Tel Aviv and central Israel.
The local media aired footage of people racing to shelters and while there were no casualties, the strike delivered the message it aimed at. In issuing a stark warning to Israel as its war on Gaza nears one whole year. The group also declared its readiness to not stop at one and launch more such strikes. The Houthis warned that Israel should expect more attacks ahead of the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
In yet another reiteration of its position this week, Yemen’s Houthi defense minister Mohammed Nasser al-Atifi said in a televised statement that the attacks would continue against Israel. “The Israeli government, people and parties who support it and back it must know that our strikes will continue. And any attack on our allies, our land and our people will be met with a befitting reply.” He also clarified in the message that the group was determined to strike the depths of Israel and its sensitive areas until the aggression on Gaza stopped.
Israel retaliates
After the group claimed the missile strike on Sunday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu warned the group that they will pay a “heavy price.” In a cabinet meeting opened soon after the attack, Netanyahu declared Israel to be in a “multi-front campaign against Iran’s axis of evil.” In a cross-warning issued to Houthis, he said that “they should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempts made to harm us.”
Who are Houthis and what do they want?
An armed political and religious group championing Yemen’s Muslim Minority that is the Zaidis, the Houthis declare themselves to be a part of Iran-led resistance against Israel, the US and the West. Formally known as the Ansar Allah, the group emerged in the 90s and has been in a civil war for over a decade, citing that their resistance is against Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
Since November last year, the Houthis have been attacking Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis’ proclaimed solidarity with Palestinians and stand against Israel’s continuing war on Gaza is the reason behind the militia group’s repeated firing of missiles and drones at Israel. Israeli reports that Houthis have fired more than 220 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones in the past 11 months. A large majority of such attacks have been ships targeted off Yemen’s coastline and intercepted over the Red Sea, except for in July when a drone attack on Tel Aviv killed one person and injured 10. In November last year, they hijacked a commercial ship in the Red Sea. Dozens of similar attacks followed, of which reportedly 34 resulted in damage to vessels.
In January, the US and UK started carrying out air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. In response, the Houthis even targeted ships tied to owners in the UK or US. The attacks had a direct repercussion on the global seaborne trade with major shipping companies having stopped using the Red Sea and taking a much longer route around southern Africa instead. However, the latest missile attack in Israel has struck deeper than any past strikes and as per geo-political analysts elevates the status of Houthis as the rising military force in the region.
Contradictory statements made by Israel and Houthis
While the Houthis claim that the missile successfully penetrated Israeli air defences and could not be taken down, the Israeli media reported that the missile was “not hypersonic and did not manoeuvre in flight.” There is a different narrative set by both Houthis and Israeli authorities on whether the missile was intercepted. Nasreddin Amer, from the Houthi media authority, said in a post on X that, “20 missiles failed to intercept,” but Israel claims that the Houthi missile was damaged by an Israeli interceptor missile.
Symbolic of a deeper conflict in the Middle East
On Monday, September 23rd, Israel in its fiercest attack yet on neighbouring Lebanon killed over 500 people, including women and children, as it fired strikes targeting the armed group Hezbollah. In a ripple effect of the escalation, the Houthis expressed their solidarity and pledged support for Hezbollah. One year after the Hamas attack, contrary to the worldwide calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, the recent developments amid escalated tensions in the Middle East are symbolic of much deadlier conflict in the months to come
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