The Israeli army successively announced on Friday January 3 that it had intercepted a missile and a drone coming from Yemen, two shots claimed by the Houthi rebels. A scenario that has been repeated since the attack of October 7 and the war in Gaza. The Houthis are the last member of the resistance axis to continue to directly strike Israel.
2 mins
Israeli military offensives in the Middle East against Iranian cronies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon have weakened Tehran, but Israel remains faced with the headache of attacks by the Houthi rebels of Yemen, also allies of Iran, who remain the only ones to fire projectiles on a daily basis at Israel.
Also readIsraeli military says it intercepted missile and drone fired from Yemen
After severe blows over the past year to Hezbollah, an Islamist movement backed by Iran, the main threat now comes from the Shiite group, which controls Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, nearly 2,000 kilometers from Israel .
“ Iran’s armed wing »
If the Houthis continue to strike Israel directly, it is because they say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Weakened, their Iranian ally cannot do anything directly for the moment, because the retaliatory measures that Tehran could suffer from Israel could cost it very dear, particularly with regard to its nuclear program.
“ In a way, the Houthis are the armed wing of Iran, analyzes Franck Mermier, anthropologist, research director at the CNRS and specialist in Yemen. But we must also take into consideration the fact that internal motivations, linked precisely to the legitimacy of their power in Yemen, also guide the continuity of their strikes against Israel. “.
Also readYemen: Houthi rebels claim two missile attacks against Israel
The Houthis’ stubbornness in striking Israel also earns them bombings in return, but for the moment, the Jewish state and its allies can hardly do more against the Houthi threat unless they change strategy.
Target Houthi leaders
One of the possible developments in the Israeli response to the Houthis would be to engage “ much more massive bombings, as has already been done by Israel, notably as part of its fight against Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut, explains Franck Mermier. Or also target political figures from the Houthi regime. And that hasn’t been started yet. Another step could also be to help the legitimate Yemeni army advance on certain fronts », concludes the researcher.
Some Yemeni analysts predict that a resumption of hostilities could take place between the Houthis and the loyalist army in 2025.