Netanyahu: Israel Will Act Against Houthis Like It Did Against Hamas and Hezbollah

Seth J. Frantzman | FDD | Dec 23, 2024

Latest Developments

• Netanyahu Promises Strong Response Against Houthis: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel will strike hard against the Houthi rebels in Yemen after the Iran-backed terrorist group launched multiple ballistic missiles and drones at Israel during the previous week. “Just as we acted forcefully against the terrorist arm of Iran’s axis of evil, so we will act against the Houthis,” Netanyahu said on December 22, alluding to Israel’s dismantling of Iranian proxies Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon since Hamas’s mass atrocities on Israel on October 7, 2023.  

• Houthis Missiles Hit Playground and School in Israel: On December 21, a missile launched by the Houthis struck a playground in the Tel Aviv area in the middle of the night after Israeli air defenses failed to intercept it. The explosion, which shattered glass in the area, injured 16 Israelis. The missile was the sixth the Houthis launched at Israel during the month of December. Israel partly intercepted a Houthi missile launched towards the same area on December 19, but its warhead still landed in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, severely damaging an empty school building. The attack coincided with an Israeli Air Force strike on targets in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including its capital, Sana’a, on the same day.

• U.S. Strikes in Houthi Capital: Since early November 2023, the Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel, most of which were successfully intercepted. On December 21, U.S. forces conducted air strikes against a missile storage facility and command-and-control facility in Sana’a in response to the group’s continued attacks on international merchant vessels and U.S. Navy warships in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. U.S. forces conducted an earlier mission against the Houthis on December 16, targeting another command center in Sana’a, which it said was a hub for coordinating Houthi operations.

FDD Expert Response

“An Israeli escalation against the Houthis would be a great service to all nations whose commercial shipping remains under attack in the Red Sea. The incoming Trump administration needs to move away from an unsustainable zone defense strategy, join with Israel in severely degrading the Houthis, and give Israel everything it needs to hold the Houthi parent company accountable in Tehran.” — ?Richard Goldberg,?Senior Advisor

“Netanyahu is right to demand stronger action against the Houthis. Israel and the United States have both carried out airstrikes, and it is important to escalate these strikes until the Iranian-backed terrorists stop their attacks, much as Hezbollah was deterred after Israel increased?its strikes on their positions in Lebanon.” —? Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

FDD Background and Analysis

“‘On Behalf of the Entire International Community’: IDF Strikes Sana’a as Houthi Rebels in Yemen Target Tel Aviv,” FDD Flash Brief

“U.S. Strikes Houthi Command Center Amid Continuing Threats to International Shipping, Israel,” FDD Flash Brief

“Why are the Houthis attacking Israel – and can they be deterred?” by Seth J. Frantzman

    “All Eyes on Iran’s Reaction to Hodeidah,” by Seth J. Frantzman Seth J. Frantzman