The Houthis are the ‘last man standing’ in Iran’s regional war

The Houthis have not suffered a major setback since they began their attacks on Israel and on shipping in the aftermath of the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN DECEMBER 16, 2024 11:30 Updated: DECEMBER 16, 2024 11:32

Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Sanaa, Yemen December 6, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

The Iranian-backed Houthis increasingly appear to be alone in attempts to attack Israel, as Iran and its other proxy groups have been weakened.

The Houthis have not suffered a major setback since they began their attacks on Israel and on shipping in the aftermath of the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack. The Houthis have generally enjoyed the ability to carry out long-range strikes and then hide out in the mountains around Sana’a and wait out the response.

The US had tried to respond to the Houthi attacks. Israel was concentrating on Hamas in Gaza and viewed the Houthi attacks as one front in a seven-front war. Israel eventually did respond with two rounds of airstrikes on the Houthis in July and September. The US launched Operation Prosperity Guardian in December 2023 to counter Houthi attacks on commercial ships. The naval operation was only moderately successful. The Israeli strikes did not seem to deter the Houthis. They continue to attack Israel with drones and missiles.

The Houthi attacks continue even as Hamas continues to face setbacks in Gaza and as Hezbollah has agreed to an Israel-Lebanon 60-day ceasefire that will end in late January. The Assad regime has fallen. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq also seem to have stopped their attacks on Israel for now. Perhaps they are worried about the fallout from the fall of Assad. They might see protests in Sunni Arab cities, leaving the Shi’ite militias in Iraq to face local pressure. Many Iraqis hate the militias and resent them hijacking Iraq for their own needs.

 On the evening of December 15-16, reports claimed that there were new airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen. A correspondent for Al-Arabiya claimed the US had carried out the strikes. It’s not clear if there are more details at the moment.

Newly recruited fighters who joined a Houthi military force intended to be sent to fight in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, march during a parade in Sanaa, Yemen December 2, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

Meanwhile, on December 14, US Central Command said that the USS Harry Truman, an aircraft carrier, was entering US Central Command’s area of responsibility. The carrier is the flagship for a large strike group of ships that includes nine squadrons of aircraft, as well as the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, USS Gettysburg, and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout and USS Jason Dunham. “The Strike Group is deployed to ensure regional stability and security,” the American military says.

'US opening gates of hell'

 The Houthis are angry about the reported strikes, according to Iranian state media. “A senior member of the Yemeni Ansarullah [Houthi] movement emphasized in a message that the US is opening the gates of hell to itself by increasing tensions with Yemen,” Iran’s IRNA reported on December 16. “The US embassy has lined up its mercenaries for war against the Yemeni people with the aim of stopping the operation to support the Gaza Strip,” Abdul Rahman Al-Ahnumi wrote in a message on the X. “He warned that any escalation of tensions will open the gates of hell to the presence of the US, its interests, oil, and mercenaries in the region,” IRNA noted.