Houthi Strikes on Israel: Iran's Role in Regional Escalation

Houthi supporters during an anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Yemen (Photo: AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Western and local sources have claimed that Iran has been negotiating and harboring talks with Russia to send anti-ship missiles to Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The missles, known as Yakhont missiles, are said to allow the Houthi rebels to continue attacking ships crossing the Red Sea, and to also evade US and British attempts at stopping their attacks. 

Regional officials have said that the Houthis have met with the Russians twice this year in Iran’s capital, Tehran, to discuss plans to provide missiles in the coming weeks. Russian shipments of Yakhont missiles would not be unprecedented, as the Russians have previously supplied the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon with these weapons. 

The Iranian-backed Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels with drones and missiles since November in order to show support for Palestinians in Gaza during the ongoing war. These attacks have driven up insurance costs for ships crossing the Red Sea and have forced vessels to take alternative and more expensive routes. Both the United States and Britain have actively attempted to strike Houthi positions, but, according to Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, a Yemeni leader, these attempts have instead helped mobilize local support for the Houthis by supporting the notion that the West is their common enemy. 

Al-Zubaidi has also stated that ships have been arriving without inspection along Red Sea ports, which have contained high-quality weapons from the Iranians and the Russians in support of the Houthi rebels. These weapons have not only allowed the Houthis to continue their targeting of ships in the Red Sea, but have also allowed them to effectively target Israel.

Smoke as missile from Yemen lands in central Israel (Photo: AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

On Sunday Sep. 15, the Houthis did in fact target Israel, with the missile reaching central Israel. No injuries were reported, but Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the group would pay the price for firing the missile. Since then, a spokesman for the Houthi military has confirmed the attack — claiming to have used a “new hypersonic missile” — and threatening further attacks in the future. 

This incident follows another attack organized by the Houthi group in mid-July which targeted Tel Aviv. No injuries were reported, but the attack symbolizes a move by more groups getting actively involved in the Israel-Gaza conflict. 

The Iranians have been linked to recent discussions regarding plans to continue sending  missiles to the Houthis. Although The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the Russians were considering sending missiles, Iranian involvement within the negotiations had not been reported until now. 

The new Iranian president has denied any involvement in sending hypersonic missiles, claiming that the Houthis are creating the weapons themselves. No commentary has yet been made on Iranian involvement in sending Yakhont missiles to the Houthi group. 

These shipments risk further escalating tensions in the Middle East. As the Houthis continue to strike Israel — and as Israel continues to attack Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank — the likelihood of the war expanding to other regions rises. Furthermore, new evidence supporting Iranian involvement in the negotiations poses the idea that the Iranians could be backing groups such as the Houthis to indirectly target Israel, heightening the risk of conflict in the region.