Yemen Attack – Another Missile Launch in the Middle of the Night – What Can Be Done?

Photo Credit: David Cohen/Flash90

IAF pilot in the cockpit of an F-16 Fighting Falcon in Ramat David Airbase, January 14, 2024.

Last night, unsurprisingly, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile towards Israel, waking up the citizens of the central region. According to MDA, 18 people were injured on their way to the shelter.

The lone launch, which was successfully intercepted by the IDF, came after yesterday’s extensive Israeli attack in Yemen on Sana’a airport, the port of Hodeidah, and power plants in areas controlled by the Houthi movement.

The main “power” of the single missile is the mental threat it creates, which we have already talked about in recent days – therefore Israel needs to step up in the mental war against the Houthis.

An attack in the middle of the Houthi leader’s speech is a start, but there were other things that could have been done yesterday, even before the Houthi response missile was launched.

היידה !!! נר ראשון של חנוכה בצנעא בירת תימן pic.twitter.com/UOKX7WFjhS

— בז news (@1717Bazz) December 26, 2024

Israel should have held a press conference to present the goals of the attack and its achievements, and then (very important):
Present a forward-looking threat to the Houthis: a “launch price list” – if you will.
Israel should publicly announce the price of the next missiles.
We know that due to the great distance, Israeli attacks cannot be immediate, and therefore the use of the war of consciousness should be what covers the gap in capability – and this is very easy to implement (and also really cheap).
The “launch price list” will list the Houthi targets that will be hit for each missile – these will be infrastructure targets and consciousness targets. This means that prior notification will not harm the achievement of the attack.
You all remember the enormous cognitive effect that the IDF spokesman’s evacuation announcements in Arabic had on the residents of Dahieh in particular and on the residents of Lebanon in general.
The citizens of Yemen do not know Avichay Adraee well enough.
Today’s evacuation warning for the area of the weekly demonstration for the Gaza in al-Saba’in Square in central Sana’a could be a good start…

A variety of targets that I have suggested in recent days and that could fit into the “launch price list”:
The other airports in Houthi-controlled territory.
Parliament building.
Government offices.
Houses of senior officials in the Houthi regime.
Al-Saleh Mosque in Al-Saba’in Square.
Military bases, with an emphasis on the seam zones between the Houthis and their enemies in Yemen.
There are many more ideas – it is really possible to reach a significant bank of targets.

At the same time, it is possible to prepare for the elimination of senior officials – which is a more complex operation and depends on immediate, real-time intelligence – this does not need to be in place of the other attacks.

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Now, take a deep breath, knowing that it may take more time, but in the end, like the other tentacles of Iran, the Houthis will be defeated. Patience and tenacity are the name of the game in the Middle East. Whoever insists, stands firm, transmits patience, forbearance and strength – is the one who will win. These are the laws of the jungle in our neighborhood.

Until then, to everyone who wakes up because of the alarms in the center and gets upset: remember what the residents of the north have been through in the past year and remember what they’ve been experiencing in the Gaza Envelope for 20 years… A little empathy with the rest of the country is perfectly fine in my opinion.