Israel’s Conflict with Yemen’s Houthi Rebels and its Impact on West Asian Security

• Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched a missile attack on Israel, marking the second breach of Israel’s fortified skies by Houthi weapons in two months.
• Israel launched an air strike on Hodeida, a Houthi-controlled Red Sea port in Yemen, in retaliation for the attack.
• Israeli authorities have provided conflicting accounts about the missile’s landing in central Israel and its impact.
• Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza and a slow-burning war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah raises concerns about the Houthis’s penetration of its air space.
• The Houthis, who control parts of Yemen, have survived multiple air strikes by foreign powers since 2014, leading to a fragile ceasefire between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemen government.
• Israel faces a similar dilemma in tackling the Houthi problem, as they are entrenched in Yemen and serve Iran’s strategic purpose.
• The drone and missile attacks on Israel indicate what will come in Israel’s unending wars.
• Without an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the security situation in West Asia could deteriorate on multiple fronts.