Hassan Al-Mustafa
In late August, Israel launched a new phase of confrontation with the Houthi group, as it targeted a command operations room in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, killing Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi and several members of the Houthi government. The operation, backed by intelligence efforts, marked a strategic shift from a limited maritime confrontation to direct strikes targeting Houthi political and administrative leaders. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the operation as a “crushing blow.”
Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi’s response did not take long, as he sought in a speech to raise the morale of his supporters, considering that “the assassination of civilian ministers will not weaken Yemen but will rather increase its determination and steadfastness.” Meanwhile, Acting Prime Minister Mohammed Ahmed Muftah vowed revenge, accusing Washington and Tel Aviv of leading an “intelligence empire” that had infiltrated Yemen.
In the days that followed the Israeli strike and the accompanying mobilization on both sides, tensions continued to mount, as the Houthis in Sanaa buried 12 officials, followed by the launch of missiles and drones toward Israel. The Israeli army announced the interception of one missile on Sept. 3 after an alert in Tel Aviv, while another was reported to have fallen in an open area. At the same time, the Houthis announced they had targeted the oil tanker Scarlet Ray in the Red Sea, a step that raised great concern, especially since it poses a threat to energy security and navigation in the Red Sea and raises the risk level.
The Israeli response to the Houthis was not limited to the airstrike but included escalatory symbolic rhetoric. Katz threatened to unleash the biblical plagues on the Houthis, affirming that Israel “will complete all 10 plagues” until the threat is eliminated. This rhetoric reflects a desire for psychological deterrence as well as physical, especially since some Houthi missiles have reached sensitive areas inside Israel. But this rhetoric does not obscure the challenge Tel Aviv faces, as every Israeli airstrike means the possibility of a new Houthi response, even if limited, extending the war of attrition and increasing the likelihood of escalation, including the targeting of new areas.
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