Are the Houthis becoming a new player in the Middle East?
Last Updated on October 23, 2024 5:06 am
In 2011, the Arab Spring began a power struggle in Yemen. It was thought that this would bring stability to the country; but in reality, the opposite happened. The anti-government protests that began in Tunisia that year spread to neighboring Arab countries. That is why it was named the Arab Spring. As a result, long-time dictators fell in several countries. One of them was Yemen’s 33-year dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.
After his fall, the Houthi rebels took control of most of the country. Since then, this Iran-backed armed group has been discussed in the world court. At one point, they took control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2015. When the government of Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi, who took over as president after Saleh’s fall, lost control of the capital, he fled to Saudi Arabia via Aden. As a result, the US-led Western alliance and the coalition of several Saudi-led Arab countries were shaken. But they could not suppress the Houthis, and the Saudi coalition suffered an indirect defeat. And the Houthis have been showing one surprise after another since then. The latest surprise is the first-ever hypersonic missile attack inside Israel. Which has shocked not only Israel but also its Western allies. Those concerned believe that this progress in weapons by the Houthis will play an important role in maintaining the balance of power in the Middle East in the coming days.
Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen, is terrified because the Houthis are mainly Shiite and Iran-backed. That is why Riyadh sheltered Mansour Hadi. At the same time, it formed an alliance with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to stop the Houthis. And the United States, Britain and France have provided logistical and intelligence support to this alliance from the beginning. But far from defeating the Houthis, on the contrary, the Saudi alliance has been forced to make a peace agreement. Through this, the Houthis have established themselves on a solid foundation as one of Iran’s proxies in the Middle East.
On October 7 last year, Hamas, a Palestinian independence movement, launched an unprecedented attack inside Israel. Since that day, Israel has been attacking the besieged Gaza Strip. The attacks by the notorious Israeli forces are so widespread and brutal that they have shaken the conscience of the world. Women, children, the elderly, hospitals, schools, religious places of worship, or refugee camps – nothing has been left out of their attacks. Various international organizations, institutions, and the world community, including the United Nations, are vocal against it. But Israel is not paying attention to anything because of the support of the United States alone.
Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have naturally stood by the innocent Palestinians. Another powerful Iranian-backed armed group in the Middle East is Hezbollah. Israeli forces have been attacking Lebanon on an almost regular basis as part of their response to Hezbollah. Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced a larger-scale operation in enemy territory, especially Lebanon. After his threatening announcement, Hezbollah and the Houthis increased their attacks on Israeli territory. In continuation of this, on September 15, the Houthis launched a hypersonic missile near the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, for the first time. However, in the meantime, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar have been killed in attacks by the occupying forces. In addition, before Sinwar, his predecessor, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, was killed inside Iran.
According to Al Jazeera, the Houthis claim that the missile launched from Yemen traveled 2,000 kilometers in 11 minutes and hit Israeli territory. Although there have been conflicting claims about the damage, Israel initially created controversy over whether it was a hypersonic missile or not. Local media tried to explain by quoting Israeli officials that it was not a hypersonic category missile.
But the US media itself, citing military experts, said that the missile launched by the Houthis was hypersonic. Business Insider published a photo of the missile labeled hypersonic. At the same time, the influential US media said that this incident would further encourage the Houthis to develop their weapons.
The Iron Dome air defense system is a matter of pride for Israel. But Hamas’ top leader Yahya Sinwar congratulated Houthi leader Abdul Malik for defeating it and launching a missile attack on Israeli territory.
In his congratulatory message, Sinwar said, “You have launched a missile attack deep inside the enemy’s entity, overcoming all levels of defense and obstacles. Congratulations on this success.”
The recently deceased Sinwar, considered one of the most influential military experts of our time, also said, “We have prepared ourselves for a long-term struggle. Our combined forces in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen will defeat the enemy.”
Now the question is – what message did the Houthis send by sending hypersonic missiles inside Israel? Or how much influence will it be able to have in the Middle East?
It is believed that this success of the Houthis has made Israel a little worried. Moreover, the Houthis’ hypersonic missiles can play a role in changing the landscape of the entire Middle East.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sari claimed that this new hypersonic ballistic missile was launched at Israeli military targets. The Israeli Defense Forces failed to intercept it. The Houthi also claimed that the missile was developed locally.
Even the Israeli Army Radio reported that their air force is investigating why the missile could not be intercepted earlier.
Of course, this is not the first attack on Israel from Yemen. Earlier, on July 10, a Yemeni drone called Yafa hit the Israeli city of Eilat. It also traveled about 2,000 kilometers. However, the latest missile was completely different. This has proven to be a truly important operation. But why?
First, the type of missile. This is not a Russian or Iranian missile. That is, the missile was originally developed in Yemen. The missile also has the inscription ‘Made in Yemen’ on its body. At the same time, it says, “Hypersonic.”
Second, it defeated at least three of Israel’s most powerful defenses. Moreover, the US Navy in the Red Sea and the US-led military presence throughout the Middle East, as well as Israel’s air defenses, were unable to stop the missile.
Third, the Houthis repeatedly warned Israel without immediately responding to the Israeli attack on the port of Hudaydah on July 20. The response they gave later really worried Israel, known as the poison gas of the Middle East. The attack forced thousands of Israelis to seek shelter. Moreover, the missile hit a very sensitive area between Israel’s important industrial center and Tel Aviv airport.
From the beginning, the Israeli military has made a false attempt to cover up the damage from the attack. But despite this, military analysts have expressed fears of major damage from what has been leaked.
Fourth, the timing of the attack is significant for Yemenis, as the celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday unites Shiites and Sunnis there.
Fifth, and perhaps most importantly, the attack came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hezbollah on the northern border. Moreover, the attack in the relatively safe central part of Israel highlighted the fact that virtually no part of Israel is safe due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
The Times of Israel, an influential Israeli media outlet, said in an analysis that the Houthi missile attack was part of Iran’s overall war against Israel. That is, it is part of the proxies that Iran uses in the region against Israel; which began with the Hamas attack on October 7.
The report said that Yemeni Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani said in an interview with Iran’s state news agency IRNA, “Through this attack, their armed forces have sent a message to the Zionist regime that they are not safe.”
It also commented that Iran is probably using the Houthis to test other sophisticated weapons, such as ballistic missiles, against Israel. In other words, the Houthis are Iran’s weapons testing ground. For example, in 2020-21, Iran first exported the Shahed drone to the Houthis. After its success, Tehran gave the weapon to Russia for use against Ukraine in 2022.
Al Jazeera reported in a special report that the Houthis are regularly launching missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli-owned or -affiliated ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in solidarity with the Palestinians. The Times of Israel reports that the Houthis have fired more than 220 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at Israel in the past 11 months. However, the latest missile launch is a deeper blow than any previous attack. In addition to the damage, it is the first time an Israeli has lost his life.
Nasreddin Amer, the vice-chairman of the Houthis’ propaganda department, said that despite chasing 20 Israeli missiles, they failed to intercept the missile. Even Israel’s tactical response is evidence of this. Tel Aviv said that one of its interceptors damaged the Houthi missile, but did not destroy it.
Mohammed al-Basha, a senior Middle East analyst at the Virginia-based Navanti Group, told Al Jazeera that this was the deepest missile attack by the Houthis into Israel.
According to him, “It is of great importance from a political and strategic perspective. Because the fact that the Houthis launched a missile 2,000 kilometers away from a border without a border connection and hit central Israel means that the armed group in the heart of the Middle East, supported by Iran, is making great progress in missile and drone technology.”
Al-Basha said, “It also has a psychological effect, which is that it exposes the potential vulnerability of Israel’s Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow air defense systems.”
“It will also further solidify the Houthis’ position as a growing military force in the region,” the Middle East researcher believes.
Nicholas Broomfield, a Washington-based Yemen and Middle East security analyst, told Al Jazeera that the reality is that the missile’s range, despite Israel’s defenses, will only boost the Houthis’ confidence. “They can also claim it as a demonstration of their capabilities,” Broomfield said. “At the same time, they can assert their importance as a larger regional player, as the Houthis are leading the ‘axis of resistance’ in response to the Israeli aggression in Gaza in various ways.”