In an analytical report published this Saturday, the Israeli think tank, INSS, outlined a desired Israel’s strategy to continue confronting the Houthis.
As the report noted, “the Houthis have recently adopted a strategy that aims to tire the Israeli army and society in order to finally persuade the Israeli government to stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Given that Israel’s current approach to dealing with the Yemeni terrorist organization has been ineffective, it is wise to significantly intensify coalition and Israeli efforts against the group’s leadership as well as its missile production and launch capabilities. However, targeting Iran runs counter to US interests, risks turning the region into a wider conflict, and is unlikely to change the operational patterns of the Houthis, who consider themselves independent and not subject to orders from Tehran.
The ability to stop or significantly reduce Houthi activity against Israel requires changes in Israeli and US-led coalition policies in the Red Sea. This approach should be based on several key principles:
1- Continuity: Efforts against the Yemeni terrorist organization must be sustained and continuous, regardless of whether the Houthis actively attack Israel or not. This group must always be in danger and on the defensive (“intellectual defense, not attack”). Additionally, Israel should consider increasing its permanent presence in the Red Sea region and conducting sustained strikes in Yemen, rather than settling for sporadic strikes with apparently limited impact.
2- Coordination: Israel’s approach in Yemen cannot reflect its strategies in Lebanon or Gaza. Instead, Isael and the coalition should target a wide range of Houthi assets. Coordination between Israel and the coalition should be optimized and should focus on identifying “sensitive areas” where attacks on them could significantly harm the Houthis.
3- Diverse goals: Eliminating key characters should be prioritized. The Houthis must feel under constant threat from ongoing attacks against their key leaders, especially clan members led by Abdul Malik al-Houthi and his brothers, who hold senior leadership roles in Yemen.
4- Iran: As mentioned, a direct attack on Iran is not recommended. However, action must be taken to prevent Iran’s military support for the Houthis. This action could include targeting the forces of Iran’s Quds Corps in Yemen, led by Abdul Reza Shahlai, who have played an important role in building Yemen’s military capabilities.
5- Information: One of the most important challenges in dealing with the Houthis is to produce high-quality and real-time information to target the regime’s vital assets. In addition to increasing these capabilities, it is necessary to strengthen relations with the countries of the Persian Gulf, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which are geographically close to Yemen and can greatly help Israel in acquiring and gathering information, even if these governments cannot take direct action against the Houthis.”
