Israeli Fears of Entering a War of Attrition with the Houthis in Yemen: What’s the Story?

As the Israeli occupation army attacks Yemen for the fourth time, allegedly targeting Houthi positions, it is clear that a prolonged military campaign lies ahead. This includes targeting and destroying their supply routes, possibly imposing a real siege by “taking off the gloves,” and eliminating their political and military leadership, with potential strikes against their main backing, Iran.

Tamir Hayman, former head of military intelligence (Aman), noted that “the air force has recently been attacking Yemen to target the Houthis, who are no longer just an armed group but a military that controls a significant part of the country and possesses elements more independent than all of Iran’s arms, because their operation or cessation is not always in Iran’s hands. Past experiences show that they always prefer to use force, and once they start, it doesn’t end quickly.”

In an article published by Channel 12 and translated by “Arabi21,” he added that “the occupation’s requirement at this stage is to continue doing what it has done on the four fronts so far, focusing on damaging the Houthi supply routes, especially since this is relatively simple, as there are only two smuggling routes: air and sea, which must be completely destroyed, and what the occupation is doing today is part of this component.”

He claimed that “an economic siege of the Houthis would greatly help, through more active participation of the navy in this war, which is crucial for what must be done, which has not yet been accomplished, namely, eliminating the Houthi leadership. For implementing targeted countermeasures, real-time intelligence information is needed on much smaller targets than the infrastructure targets being hit today, although it is very difficult to do this from a distance of two thousand kilometers using air power, necessitating the activation of naval power.”

He mentioned that “the third required step is to attack Iran, amid the ongoing debate in recent days about whether to strike Yemen or Iran. However, it is clear that both must be done, where the occupation has in the past carried out effective and painful operations on Iranian territory, without claiming them. True, striking them will not stop the Houthis, but this should not prevent the occupation from collecting the bill from those who supply them with ammunition and stand behind them.”

Life for Millions Disrupted

Ephraim Ganor, a strategic expert at Maariv, confirmed that “the failure to wage war against the Houthis raises fundamental questions within the occupation about the means not being used against them, which has led us into a war of attrition we are not prepared for, causing our exhaustion by ‘drips’ of continuous long-range missile strikes that disrupt the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis, without the army, air force, and Mossad being prepared for such a war of attrition against an enemy located two thousand kilometers from the state’s borders.”

He added in an article translated by “Arabi21,” that “Israeli aggression against the Houthis has so far focused on four airstrikes carried out by the air force in Yemen since the outbreak of the war, requiring a recalibration of approach as they continue launching ballistic missiles, threatening to intensify them, raising several fundamental questions perhaps foremost among Israelis, where is the ‘Seventh Fleet’ of submarines equipped with the largest number of them?”

Wisconsin Project’s website reports that “the most advanced missiles in the occupation’s hands are capable of reaching more than ten thousand kilometers, carrying explosives weighing over 1300 kg for 14 aircraft flying approximately six hours round trip, requiring aerial refueling, coordination with other armies in the region, and difficult force deployment, while launching a precise missile could provide a sufficient response to the mission without endangering the pilots or aircraft, but reality says the non-use of these missiles has been disappointing.”