- Houthis are part of the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance”
- The group says it has carried out three attacks on Israel so far
- Analyst: Attacks have so far been more of a message than a real threat
- Other Iranian-backed groups have attacked across the Middle East
DUBAI, Oct 31 (Portal) – Yemen’s Houthis have thrown themselves into the war between Israel and Hamas raging more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from their seat of power in Sanaa, saying on Tuesday they were using drones and rockets to attack Israel fired, highlighting the regional risks The conflict.
As part of an Iran-backed “axis of resistance,” the Houthis have rallied behind the Palestinians since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, opening a new front for a movement that has been at war for eight years with a Saudi-led coalition. Arabia-led coalition in Iran leads Gulf.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised statement that the group had fired a “large number” of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel and that there would be more such attacks “to help the Palestinians win.”
His statement confirmed the widening scale of a conflict that is unsettling states including the world’s biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia and heightening fears of spillover as Israel seeks to destroy Hamas in its Gaza stronghold.
Saree said it was the Houthis’ third attack on Israel since the conflict began, appearing to confirm that they were behind an Oct. 28 drone strike that led to explosions in Egypt and was blamed by Israel on the Houthis. 19 incident in which the US Navy intercepted three cruise missiles.
Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said the Houthi attacks were intolerable but declined to elaborate when asked how Israel would respond.
The Houthis’ slogan is: “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse to the Jews and Victory to Islam.”
AXIS OF RESISTANCE
The Houthis are a huge part of the “Axis of Resistance” that opposes Israel and the United States and has been carrying out attacks across the region since October 7.
Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have fired on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, while Lebanon’s Hezbollah engaged in firefights with Israeli forces on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The Houthis have demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates during the Yemen war. The Saudi-led coalition accuses Iran of arming, training and funding the Houthis. The group denies being an Iranian proxy and says it is developing its own weapons.
The United States, Israel’s main ally, has deployed aircraft carriers as a deterrent to prevent the Gaza conflict from spreading. Iran has also said it does not want the war to expand.
But Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian suggested Tuesday that Tehran’s allies could continue to act.
Houthi fighters gather during a military exercise near Sanaa, Yemen, October 30, 2023. Houthi Media Center/Handout via Portal/File Photo Acquire License Rights
“Resistance groups will not remain silent in the face of the crimes of the Zionist regime and America’s full support for the Zionist regime,” he said. “You will not wait for advice from anyone; If the situation gets out of control, no party will be safe from the consequences,” he said in a meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Iranian state media reported.
Houthi spokesman Saree blamed Israel for instability in the Middle East, saying the “circle of conflict” in the region was being widened by its “persistent crimes.” The Houthis would continue their attacks “until Israeli aggression ceases.”
Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center noted that Houthi missiles and drones had been shot down in recent hostilities, saying that for now their attacks were “more about messages than a real military threat.”
“The risk to Israel would be that there would be an all-out attack with multiple rocket launches from all directions that could overwhelm air defenses,” he said.
Concerns in Saudi Arabia
Yemen has enjoyed more than a year of relative calm amid a United Nations-led peace initiative. Saudi Arabia is holding talks with the Houthis to exit the war while Riyadh focuses on economic priorities at home.
But Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel have increased the risk of conflict for Saudi Arabia.
The most direct flight path for any drone or missile launched from Yemen is over western Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea before flying over Jordan and into Israel.
The Saudi government’s communications office did not respond to a request for comment on the kingdom’s concerns about the Houthi attacks.
Saudi analyst Aziz Alghashian said Saudi Arabia was concerned that the conflict could spread beyond its own borders.
“I think the problem is that this war has the potential to enable Saudi Arabia to appear to be taking sides between the US, Israel and Iran,” he said. “I think Saudi Arabia wants to avoid that.”
Saudi Arabia and Iran, the region’s leading Sunni Arab and Shiite powers respectively, agreed earlier this year to restore diplomatic ties, easing years of tensions that have fueled conflicts across the Middle East.
In 2019, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack that temporarily reduced Saudi oil production by more than half. The US said Iran was behind the attack, which Tehran denied.
Additional reporting by Nadine Awadalla and Nayera Abdallah in Dubai, Tom Perry in Beirut, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Henriette Chacar and Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem and Mohamed Ghobari in Aden, written by Tom Perry; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Gareth Jones
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