After raining down missiles on Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel, on Sunday, turned its attention to Yemen. The Israeli military targeted power plants and sea port facilities at the Ras Isa and Hodeidah ports, killing four people and injuring 33 others. The attacks are a response to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have consistently been launching missiles at the Jewish nation since last October
But why is Israel targeting Yemen? Who are the Houthis that Israel is targeting? What’s the enmity there?
Israel’s strikes in Yemen
On Sunday (29 September), Israel unleashed a wave of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen while simultaneously attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon.
According to Israel’s military, dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes, rained down hell on Yemen. “In a large-scale air operation today, dozens of Air Force aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelling planes, and reconnaissance aircraft, attacked military-use targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the Ras Issa and Hodeida areas of Yemen,” military spokesman Captain David Avraham said in a statement to AFP.
Notably, this is only the second time that Israel has struck Yemen — the first being in July when they conducted an attack at the Hodeidah port after a drone hit Tel Aviv, killing a man in his apartment.
The strike on Sunday has killed four people, claimed Houthi-affiliated media, adding that another 33 have been injured. Rescue teams are still at the site of the struck power station, searching for people in the rubble, with officials adding that the death toll could further rise.
Israel’s choice of targeting the port in Yemen — a part of its Dahiya Doctrine — could prove disastrous for the country. That’s because a majority of Yemen’s population is dependent on humanitarian aid which enters the country through its port. As Niku Jafarnia, a researcher for Human Rights Watch focusing on Yemen, told the New York Times, “The humanitarian importance of the ports cannot be understated
Responding to the attacks, Nasruddin Amer, a Houthi spokesman said on X that oil depots at Yemen’s ports in Ras Isa and Hodeidah had been emptied of their petroleum in advance. He warned the strikes would not prevent further missile attacks on Israel. “We’re at war with the Zionist enemy and our operations will not stop,” Amer said in a text message.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani slammed Israel for the strikes, saying they had targeted “civilian infrastructure” such as a power plant and fuel tanks.
However, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the strikes were a message — “Our message is clear, for us, no place is too far.
But why did Israel strike Yemen now?
The strikes on Sunday, as per Israel, were a reply to the Houthis for their recent missile strikes on Israel, especially the one on Saturday, September 28. The IDF then said it had intercepted a surface-to-surface ballistic missile launched at central Israel from Yemen.
Notably, the missile was reportedly targeting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane as it was about to land at Ben Gurion airport.
But why did Israel strike Yemen now?
The strikes on Sunday, as per Israel, were a reply to the Houthis for their recent missile strikes on Israel, especially the one on Saturday, September 28. The IDF then said it had intercepted a surface-to-surface ballistic missile launched at central Israel from Yemen.
Notably, the missile was reportedly targeting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane as it was about to land at Ben Gurion airport.
A Houthi leader said that the missile, which was eventually brought down by Israel’s Arrow long-range missile defence system, was timed to coincide with Netanyahu’s landing in Israel from his New York visit. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi vowed that the death of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah would “not be in vain” and the “resistance won’t be in vain”.
The Houthis also carried out an attack last Friday, firing a ballistic missile at a military target in Tel Aviv and a drone at a “vital target” in Ashkelon. The missile was intercepted, said the IDF.
All about the Houthis
But who exactly are the Houthis? They are an armed political and religious group made up of Yemen’s Shia Muslim minority, the Zaidis. According to the Alma Research and Education Centre, the Houthis capitalised on the Arab Spring’s momentum in the early 2010s to strengthen their position and by the end of 2014, they had taken control of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and by February 2015, they declared control over the country.
Today, the US has designated them as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity.
Yemen expert Gregory Johnsen describes the Houthis as always been on the outside. “They’ve been a militia group that’s now starting to dabble in politics. And they don’t know how to rule.”
Houthis’ enmity with Israel
The Houthis have always viewed Israel as enemies. One of the group’s slogans is ‘Death to Israel.’ They are also backed by Iran, which has viewed Israel and the United States as their main enemies. However, many experts note that while the group is close to Iran, they don’t believe in ayatollahs and subscribe to Iran’s religious beliefs.
Tehran’s support to the Houthis, experts claim, includes arming the collective with advanced weapons as well as facilitating their training through Hezbollah operatives. This has transformed the Houthis into a formidable force in the West Asian region.
Since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have also extended their support to Hamas and have consistently attacked Israel with missiles and suicide drones.
When these attacks were intercepted, causing little damage or concern to the Jewish nation, the Houthis pivoted to attacking ships in the Red Sea. At first, they attacked only Israeli vessels. They then expanded to targeting ships bound for Israel or even with little Israeli connections.
Their attacks on vessels led many major shipping companies to stop using the Red Sea earlier this year, causing significant economic losses.
The Houthis also blame Israel for the instability in the region, saying that they would continue to mount attacks “until the Israeli aggression stops”.
While the Houthis haven’t responded as of now to Israel’s strikes, analysts believe that the Jewish nation is accelerating towards a multi-dimensional regional conflict with devastating effects not only for the area but also for the world at large.
With inputs from agencies