Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/3/houthis-maintain-pressure-on-israel-as-us-launches-more-strikes-on-yemen
On Saturday, in the midst of daily attacks on Yemen by the US, a third missile in 24 hours was fired by Houthi rebels on Israel. The Houthis are directly claiming responsibility for the attacks, describing them as a “response to Israeli operations in Gaza.” In past weeks, Houthi forces have increasingly targeted both supply routes in the Red Sea as well as the territory of Israel itself. Actions are carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip; Houthis also ceased attacks on Israel during the Gaza ceasefire earlier this year, but restarted missile attacks after Israel blocked aid into Gaza in March. Also on Saturday, the US launched multiple air raids into Yemeni territory, a day after Friday’s seven US attacks on Yemen in the most aggressive military operations in the Middle East since President Trump took office in January. Notably, high civilian casualties are becoming increasingly prevalent with each American attack on Yemen, with Airways (UK) reporting up to 55 civilians were killed in March with April’s death toll likely rising much higher. In one US air attack in late April, it is estimated that at least 68 people lost their lives in that attack alone.
This article is important because it demonstrates two major things to the international community: 1, Israel’s success is completely dependent on the influence and assistance that it receives from the US, and 2, the US is once again becoming much more active in the Middle East. In 48 hours, the US performed 9 air strikes on Yemen in an attempt to take down Houthi targets. The US is doing this to benefit Israel and prevent Houthi rebels from further exacerbating the conflict in Gaza that has already existed as a major humanitarian crisis since 2023. Personally, I find it very interesting that during the ceasefire in Gaza earlier this year, the Houthi rebels stopped attacking Israel, which demonstrates to me that their major motivation for current attacks truly is in solidarity with Palestinians subject to the abuse of Israel in Gaza.
I think that Israel is going to continue to simply intercept and protect against attacks from the Houthi rebels while letting the US strike blows on Yemen. Israel currently is extremely reliant on military and economic support from America and will continue to be dependent for the duration of any conflict it is involved in within the region. I personally am conflicted for what I believe will be the future of US intervention within the Gaza strip and the wider Middle East because there have been so many failed/prolonged incidents in the region, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover, Trump’s doctrine in terms of foreign policy has vaguely hinted towards a move to a more isolationist stance, which is countered by current US intervention with Yemen. I think that Houthis in Yemen will continue to attempt strikes against Israel, especially as death tolls from US attacks continue to rise each month. However, though the Houthis control large portions of Yemen including the capital, they are unrecognized by the international community.
In class, we have been discussing human rights violations. The war in Gaza has come with significant human rights violations specifically to those on the Gaza strip. One example of this was the Israeli blockade of aid and resources to Palestinians in March that lead to the end of the ceasefire. Blockades of ports and coasts is a crime of aggression due to its detrimental effects on the citizens of that region, especially leading to poor sanitary conditions, acute malnutrition, and death. It can also be considered a war crime.