Houthis Take Conflict With Israel To New Level

The Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen have escalated their attacks against Israel in support of the Gaza Strip in recent days. The escalation from Yemen came amid a ceasefire in Lebanon that saw Hezbollah leaving the battle for Gaza as well as after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria which was without a doubt a blow to Iran and its allies in the Middle East. On December 13, the Houthis said that they had launched two suicide drones at targets in the Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Tel Aviv. The group added that other drones were launched in cooperation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against targets in southern Israel. Israeli media reported no interceptions or impacts. Just three days later, the group launched a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile at a target in Tel Aviv. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that the missile was intercepted by its air defenses before crossing the country’s borders. Five people were reportedly hurt while running to bomb shelters. Responding to the Houthi attacks, the IDF launched two waves of strikes against Yemen on December 19. The first wave of strikes was carried out along the coast of Yemen, hitting the Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and the Salif ports. Eight tugboats used to bring ships into the ports were also destroyed in the strikes. The second wave of strikes hit two power stations in the capital Sanaa. According to local Yemeni media, nine civilians were killed. The deadly attack didn’t deter the Houthis, who responded as Israeli warplanes were dropping bombs on Yemen by launching two Palestine-2 missiles at targets in Tel Aviv. The IDF said that one missile was fired and intercepted, although debris hit a school near the settlement of Ramat Gan, collapsing a building. There were no casualties. Later on December 19, the Houthis announced an additional attack on Tel Aviv with a suicide drone. From its side, the IDF said that a “suspicious aerial target” was downed over the Mediterranean Sea. On December 20, the Houthis said that another drone attack targeted Tel Aviv and several sites in southern Israel. The IDF said the next day that a drone was intercepted over the country’s southern region. The situation escalated again on December 21, with the Houthis launching another Palestine-2 missile at Tel Aviv. This time, the missile reached the city, reportedly impacting a public park. 16 people were slightly wounded by shrapnel. Later on the same day, the U.S. launched a series of strikes against the Houthis, targeting the capital Sanaa and other parts of the country. The Central Command said that the targets included a missile storage facility and a command-and-control site. The command also said that its forces shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea during the attack. The Houthis revealed later that they had launched an attack on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier amid the strikes on Yemen. Eight cruise missiles and 17 drones were used in the attack, which resulted in an F/A-18 fighter jet being shot down. The U.S. said that this was a friendly fire incident, but there is no doubt that the mistake was caused by the Houthis’ attack. All in all, the conflict between Israel and the Houthis will likely see more escalation. Recent reports in Israeli media suggest that the IDF will launch more strikes against Yemen and could even target Iran. On the other side, the Houthis will not likely back down before the war on Gaza is over.