The Long Arm of Israel Reaches the Houthis in Yemen

The IAF on December 19 completed its most devastating attack yet on the Houthis in Yemen. Dozens of its aircraft, including fighter jets, spy planes, and refuelers, have just flown 2,000 kilometers to Yemen (and 2,000 kilometers back) to hit key targets. All three of the ports used by the Houthis were put out of commission, as well as two power stations in the capital of Sanaa. More on this attack on the Houthis, and its significance, can be found here: “As missile hits Israeli school, IDF pounds Yemen, believes it paralyzed all 3 Houthi ports,” by Emanuel Fabian, Times of Israel, December 19, 2024:

The Israeli military carried out a series of intense airstrikes that shook Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city early Thursday, in a preplanned operation that coincided with the Houthis firing a missile that hit a school in central Israel.

No one was injured by the ballistic missile, which the Israel Defense Forces said was partially intercepted outside Israeli airspace by the long-range Arrow air defense system. However, the warhead didn’t explode in the air and crashed into an empty school building in the city of Ramat Gan, with nobody hurt. It was the second missile from Yemen fired this week, along with a drone attack.

According to a statement by the Israel Defense Force, dozens of Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft participated in the strikes in Yemen, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, some 2,000 kilometers from Israel. The Houthi targets were struck at the Hodeida port — which Israel has struck twice before — and for the first time, in the rebel-held capital Sana’a, the IDF said….

In all, dozens of munitions were dropped by the IAF on the five targets, the military said.

The Kan public broadcaster reported that Israel had notified the US before the strike.

Rebel-held Hodeida, some 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Sana’a, has been key for food shipments into Yemen during its ongoing decade-long civil war. There have also long been accusations that weapons from Iran have been transferred through the port — which the IDF referred to in an earlier statement on the strikes….

Israeli pilots have shown, yet again, that they can hit with precision targets far away. The port of Hodeida has been hit before by the IAF, but now the IAF not only hit it again, much harder, but in this attack also bombed Ras Isa and Salif, the two other ports used by the Houthis. After such destruction, it will be impossible for those ports to be used for the delivery of Iranian weapons.

After the latest strike on the Houthis, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Houthis: “The long arm of Israel will reach you. Whoever lifts a hand [against us] will have it severed. Whoever strikes [us] will be struck many times over.”

The Houthis hold Sana’a, but both of its power plants have now been destroyed. All three of the ports on which the Houthis depend to receive shipments of weapons from Iran have now been “paralyzed” after the IAF strikes.

Who is better off after this latest IAF attack on the Houthis?

In the first place, Israel, for now it will be harder for the Houthis to be resupplied with missiles and drones from Iran with which to hit targets in the Jewish state.

In the second place, Saudi Arabia, whose oil facilities have been hit by Houthi missiles in the past. The Saudis will be safer for the same reason that Israel is now safer — the interruption of Iranian delivery of missiles to the Houthis will limit, or perhaps end completely, their attacks on Saudi targets.

In the third place, Egypt, which will see the Suez Canal again used by ships going from Asia to Europe. The Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea caused most such international shipping to be rerouted, so that it went not through the canal but instead, round the Cape of Good Hope and up along the west coast of Africa to Europe. That has led to a drop in revenue for the Egyptian government from its Suez Canal operation of $7 billion. Now that ships may resume their regular routes up the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, because, thanks to the IAF’s destruction of three ports, the Houthis will find it difficult to be resupplied with Iranian weapons with which to attack ships in the Red Sea, those billions of dollars will again flow into Egyptian coffers.

Don’t expect Egypt, or Saudi Arabia, or Maersk Lines, or the UN, or anyone else, to thank Israel for this latest contribution to world peace and prosperity. But we can, and hereby do.