Israel carried out airstrikes against the Houthis on Saturday night. “In the last 24 hours, the Navy attacked power stations in Yemen,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the cabinet meeting on Sunday.
The airstrikes were part of the wider multifront war that Israel is waging. For instance, the IDF is also expanding operations in Gaza and continues to hunt down Hezbollah threats in Lebanon.
This is important because it is part of Israel’s current doctrine of operating on multiple fronts and not reducing the pressure it puts on the terrorist groups.
Nevertheless, it also has the result of having multiple conflicts that continue for years. The Houthis, for instance, began attacks on Israel after the October 7 massacre in 2023. This means that for about 22 months, Israel has had to contend with the Houthi threat.
The shifting threat of the Houthis
The Houthis have shifted their threat over time. They have used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones to strike at Israel. They even hijacked a ship, the Galaxy Leader.
They have terrorized merchant shipping with drones and used small boats to attack cargo ships. This is a threat to international trade. The Trump administration briefly bombed the Houthis in March in an attempt to deter them. It is not clear if they have been deterred, as they have continued to attack ships.
The Houthis also continue to launch ballistic missiles at Israel. They launched missiles on August 1, August 5, and August 17. This shows they continue to possess ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel.
The overall volume of fire, however, appears to have lessened from its peak. There were times when the Houthis were launching attacks almost every two days.
Have the Houthis finally been blunted, or has their stockpile of missiles suffered a kind of attrition, meaning they don’t have enough missiles to keep up a large amount of fire?
The Houthi missile launch on August 17 was designed to show that they will continue to threaten Israel. This illustrates that the precision airstrikes on the Houthis by the IDF over the past 22 months have not been able to stop their plans entirely.
Nevertheless, they provide the IDF with a lot of experience striking long-range targets with precision. They also enable the IDF to use the Israel Navy and the IAF in various capacities. This is important for Israel and its ability to project power.