On January 18, 2025, the Houthis, commonly known as Ansar Allah in English, claimed to have shot a ballistic missile at Israel’s Ministry of Defense Building in Tel Aviv. The Houthis also said that the missile had hit precisely with “high precision.” But the Israeli military contradicted this, saying that the missile was intercepted by Israeli Air Defence systems before it could reach its target. At least the IDF reported no injuries among its forces as a result of this incident or any other such attacks launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen in recent weeks
According to Al-Jazeera, This incident is the most recent of a series of Houthi attacks targeting Israeli and US military assets. Earlier in the week the Houthis announced that they had laugh ice bombs Israel, using cruise missiles which struck against vital Israeli infrastructure. Furthermore, they announced attacks on US naval assets in the Red Sea. These reports made headlines in both countries. The truth is that the US conducted air strikes against Houthi positions inside Yemen following this news item just last week
The Houthis have sought to justify their actions, needled into a corner by the Palestinians of Gaza. In the wake of last week’s ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Houthi chieftain Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said that his faction should go its own way on concluding with Israel. If attacks on Gaza persist by Israel so too shall this organization launch forays against that country.
Yemen Kuwait Bank is hit by sanctions due to its support for the Houthis in dietary terms. It’s quite common for the money that’s passed on just keeps getting moved around though–frozen assets are a different matter. That the United States has chosen this moment to move against the Houthis is part of their strategy.
It seems that recent developments have raised questions about the safety of the Red Sea as a route for trade. People involved in the industry say they are worried. They worry there is a persistent threat from Houthis which can disrupt global shipping and force companies to bypass Bab al-Mandab altogether (instead of living on fish from its strait).
The international community is also on alert as events continue to unfold. Where will the Houthis move next? What will be the response from Israel, America, or any other stakeholders in this part of the world?
