Israel is facing an escalating wave of missile and drone attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Despite forceful Israeli retaliatory strikes, the Houthis remain undeterred, largely thanks to Iran’s sponsorship, armament, and training.
While Yemen’s status as a “closed territory” restricts access and makes intelligence gathering exceedingly difficult, and its distant location complicates sustained airstrikes, the key factor tipping the balance is the Islamic Republic’s support. Consequently, the most effective way to curb the Houthis’ aggression is through direct action against the regime in Tehran.
Over the past year, Houthi rebels – officially known as Ansar Allah and acting as Iran’s proxy in Yemen – have waged a disruptive campaign against maritime traffic through the Bab al-Mandab strait, a vital chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
This aggression has jeopardized the flow of goods through the Suez Canal, prompting several shipping companies to suspend operations in the region. The Houthis have targeted more than 40 commercial vessels, forcing others to reroute along longer and more expensive paths around the Cape of Good Hope.
While a US-led multinational coalition launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to address the threat, the operation has failed to halt the Houthi attacks.
Similarly, the Houthis have launched at least 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel. In response, Israel has carried out severe retaliatory strikes, targeting key infrastructure, including ports, oil facilities, power stations, and Sanaa’s international airport. Yet, the Houthis remain undeterred.
Unlike Hamas and Hezbollah, confronting the Houthis in Yemen poses unique challenges for both Israel and the United States. Yemen’s status as a “closed territory” severely restricts access and renders intelligence gathering exceptionally difficult, unlike in Gaza, Lebanon, or Syria.
Moreover, the Houthis’ deep integration into local communities and their sophisticated use of human intelligence networks complicate efforts to obtain accurate and actionable intelligence. Additionally, unlike Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza, Yemen’s rugged and mountainous terrain provides the Houthis with natural fortifications, which complicate military operations and diminish the effectiveness of conventional warfare tactics.
This geographical advantage has allowed the Houthis to withstand years of aerial bombardment and assaults on multiple fronts by forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition. Despite being outgunned, outspent, and subjected to relentless aerial and satellite surveillance, these interventions have not significantly weakened them. Instead, the Houthis have consolidated their control over a vast portion of the country.
These challenges, significant as they are, pale in comparison to the extensive support the Houthis receive from Iran, which remains the most decisive factor in shaping their capabilities and resilience. This support includes crucial intelligence, along with the advanced weaponry and training that make the Houthis a formidable adversary.
Houthi armament since joining Iran's AxisSince 2014, when Iran integrated the Houthis into the Axis of Resistance, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has supplied them with weapons, training, and strategic military support. This transformed the Houthis from a local insurgent group into a force capable of conducting advanced warfare.
The assistance has included anti-ship missiles, radar systems, mines, and explosive drone boats, enabling the Houthis to disrupt shipping and threaten the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Additionally, Iran established air and sea supply chains, including an “air bridge” via Mahan Air, to deliver further military aid.
BUILDING ON Iran’s extensive support, the IRGC has provided the Houthis with a range of advanced weaponry, including an anti-ship ballistic missile and short- to medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles. Among these is the Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile (renamed “Hatam” or “Palestine-2”), with a range of about 1,450 km.
Additionally, the IRGC has furnished the Houthis with various drones, including the Qasef-1 UAV (commonly called a “kamikaze” drone) for suicide attacks on coalition missile defense systems. The terror proxy also deploys the Vaeed-2 (IRGC’s Shahid 136) and Ababil drones, equipped with high-explosive warheads, to strike high-value targets like radar installations and Patriot missile batteries.
To bolster naval capabilities, the IRGC has supplied the Houthis with unmanned, remote-controlled boats loaded with explosives, as well as naval mines and anti-ship or man-portable missiles. These assets have enabled the Houthis to carry out attacks against land and sea targets, including civilian ports and energy infrastructure throughout the region.
Notably, the missiles used by the Houthis in September and December against Israel – called “Hatam” or “Palestine-2” – closely resemble the IRGC’s Fattah, itself a variant of the Kheibar Shekan missile unveiled in 2022.
Expanding on the IRGC’s extensive support, multiple sources indicate that the Houthis have received training in Iran, including advanced naval instruction at Iranian academies. Reports suggest that up to 200 Houthi fighters were trained at Iran’s Khamenei Academy of Naval Sciences and Technology in Zibakenar, significantly enhancing their maritime operational skills in Yemen.
These training programs have enabled the Houthis to conduct sophisticated military operations, including missile and drone attacks, against both military and civilian targets. The IRGC further supports the Houthis by providing critical intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) data to its Yemeni proxy.
The primary purpose of Iran’s support has been to expand its regional influence and integrate the Houthis into its broader Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) strategy, an approach designed to prevent or limit the US and its allies from operating freely in critical regions near Iran and from projecting power well beyond its borders.
The Houthis have now been programmed to attack Israel with drones and ballistic missiles. Without the IRGC’s support, furnishing the Houthis with sophisticated systems that enable them to launch medium-range ballistic missiles at Israel, their capabilities would be far more limited.
The Houthis are a “hard nut to crack,” as many in Israel acknowledge. It is naïve to believe they will stand down, no matter how forcefully the US or Israel retaliates against their aggression. The Saudi-led coalition’s military forces were expected to swiftly defeat the Houthis; yet, despite vast expenditures on weaponry and a decade of bombing targeting the Houthis’ critical capabilities, they remain undefeated.
This resilience is largely due to the sponsorship, armament, and training provided by the Islamic Republic, which offers both material support and strategic guidance.
Any effective strategy to end the Houthis’ aggression must involve not only direct measures against the Houthis themselves but also against Iran. As long as the regime in Tehran remains untouched, it will continue to bolster the Houthis’ capacity to threaten global trade and security and direct them to target Israeli cities with drones and ballistic missiles.
The writer is a senior fellow at the Philos Project.