A ground force led by Arab nations, possibly including a Yemenite force, will be necessary to remove the Houthis as a regional threat, according to a senior Israeli government official.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have continued firing ballistic missiles, sporadically, at Israel despite the ceasefire between Israel and Iran that took effect last month — and despite Israeli airstrikes against the rebels and their weapons.
The Houthis have also attacked international ships again, despite reaching a separate ceasefire with the United States earlier this year. The rebels, who have fought for years against the internationally-recognized government of Yemen, say they are fighting in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza, which Israel is still fighting.
The fact that Israeli pilots have been able to reach Yemen, refueling along the way, was thought of as an astonishing achievement when the Israeli Air Force first did it a year ago. But airstrikes alone have not been enough. Israel has likely depleted and degraded the Houthi missile supply — and reinforcements from Iran are unlikely. Still, the Houthis remain committed to attacking Israel, and are a threat to the whole region.
The Houthi slogan is “Allahu akbar, death to the United States, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory for Islam.”
Saudi Arabia once led the fight against the Houthi rebels, before the Biden administration cut off support for that effort due to supposed human rights concerns. At the time, the Biden White House also wanted to entice Iran to renew talks toward a restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal.
The Israeli official said that Israel would not allow the Houthis to continue to threaten Israeli cities and Israeli shipping, and that it would have to lead the fight, following the American withdrawal from the conflict. But Israel could not supply the ground troops to finish the job, the official said. Rather, Israel would work with friendly Arab states to mount a ground attack.
Yemen is over 2,000 kilometers from Israel and the two countries have no common borders, though they are on opposite ends of the Red Sea. The Houthis attacked Israel with missiles and drones — and without any provocation.
