Bloomberg: What threat do the Houthi rebels in Yemen pose to Israel?

Shortly after war broke out in October between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, Houthi rebels who control northwestern Yemen joined in. The Houthis began disrupting traffic in the Red Sea by attacking ships there, provoking a military response led by the United States and the United Kingdom.

The rebels have also begun firing rockets and drones into Israel, which is about 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) from Yemen at its closest point. A few hits have been reported.

On July 19, one of their drones hit a building in central Tel Aviv, killing one man and wounding several others. On September 15, a rocket they fired reached central Israel, whose military said its interceptor missiles hit the projectile but did not destroy it.

Analysts say the Houthis are getting training, technical expertise and increasingly sophisticated weapons — including drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles — from Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group.

In 2021, the United States rescinded its designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group, fearing that the designation would harm Yemenis’ ability to access basics like food and fuel; the designation was redesignated in February.

What's happening in the Red Sea?

The Houthis have used missiles and drones to attack ships passing through the Red Sea. They say they target ships linked to Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom, but ships without such links have been hit.

They have tried to board and seize some ships, successfully seizing a ship owned by a unit of Israeli businessman Rami Ungar’s Ray Shipping Group in November. Three sailors were killed in a March attack and another died in June in an attack on the Tutor, the second ship the Houthis have sunk after the Rubimar.

Many of the attacks have been launched from near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which ships enter the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean. The violence has prompted shipping companies to reroute their vessels around the southern tip of Africa, a longer and more expensive journey.

The United States leads a naval task force in the Red Sea tasked with preventing Houthi attacks, and in January, American and British forces began airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, prompting the rebels to say that all American and British interests are legitimate targets.

How serious a threat do the Houthis pose to Israel?

Israeli forces and their American allies intercepted all but the few missiles and drones coming from Yemen. The Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, which did not trigger any warnings, underscored Israel’s vulnerability to incoming drones.

The Israeli military says the drone was detected but not intercepted due to “human error.” Israel responded a day later by bombing a key port in Hodeidah, killing dozens in its first direct strike on Yemen.

After the Houthi missile reached central Israel, police said debris from an interceptor missile caused minor damage to a building. Firefighters said a fire broke out in a nearby wooded area that was brought under control.

The greatest threat facing Israel is the possibility that Iran and the regional militias it supports, including Hezbollah, will cooperate to launch a coordinated attack that would overwhelm Israel's air defenses.

Source: Bloomberg