Publications

On October 19, 2023, just days after the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war, the Houthis in Yemen declared an additional front against Israel as part of their commitment to the Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance” and the concept of “unification of the arenas.” The Houthi militia, which is supported by Iran and controls large parts of Yemen, directly launched missiles and UAVs against Israel and imposed a naval blockade in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade. According to the IDF spokesperson, since October 2023, the Houthis have...

Recently, the Houthis have adopted a strategy aimed at exhausting the Israeli population, thereby increasing pressure on the Israeli government to halt its military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Given that Israel’s current approach to countering the Yemeni terrorist organization has been ineffective, it would be prudent to significantly intensify coalition and Israeli efforts against the group’s leadership, as well as its missile production and launch capabilities. Targeting Iran, however, would contradict American interests, risk...

The Red Sea region has drawn increasing attention in light of the Houthi attacks and the damage they have caused to the freedom of global shipping in general and to Israel in particular. This is in addition to the impact of other escalating conflicts in the region, in which Israel is not directly involved, such as those in Sudan and Somalia. The intensification of these conflicts highlights the recognition that only through multilateral, regional, and international cooperation can the relevant challenges in the Red Sea be addressed....

While attacks by the Houthis on Israel and civilian shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait continue to mark the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, China has been virtually silent, with no significant condemnation, and certainly no concrete action. China has also refrained from joining the US-initiated task force to protect navigation in the region, and its warships have failed to respond to distress calls from attacked ships. Beijing’s global pretensions collide with a low glass ceiling whenever they require any substantive...

Since the Hamas terror attack in the Negev on October 7 and the start of the war in Gaza, there have been escalating attacks by the Houthi terror organization, disrupting navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The stated aim of the organization, one of the most prominent Iranian proxies, is to harass and damage ships linked directly or indirectly to Israel, in response to Israel’s operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, most of the Houthi attacks so far have damaged ships that have no link to Israel. In view of the...

The Swords of Iron war between Israel and Hamas has assumed a new regional nature, with attacks by Iranian proxies, including the Houthis in Yemen. While Yemen is a secondary combat zone, the potential damage it could cause to Israel and the Gulf states, which have been accused by the Houthis of collaborating with Israel, could increase. If the Houthis continue to be involved in the fighting, Israel will be forced to find ways to deter them and respond to their aggression, which will make it hard for the Gulf states to maintain...

Read the INSS Strategic Analysis for 2023

Several developments might encourage an arrangement that could lead to a different dynamic in Yemen. Chief among them are the establishment of a presidential council, an overall ceasefire, and the partial lifting of the air and sea blockade imposed on Yemen by Saudi Arabia. The recent territorial losses recorded by the Houthis, which prompted heightened attacks on Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, helped push the parties to a ceasefire. However, experience teaches us that the chances of reaching a long-term political settlement are not...

The strategic assessment for Israel for 2021 is shaped by significant uncertainty in three principal areas: the level of success in coping with COVID-19; the modus operandi and policies of the new administration in the United States; and the political developments in Israel. The current assessment is based on a broader conception of national security, which places greater weight than in the past on the domestic arena and on threats to internal stability, social cohesion, values, and fabric of life. This of course does not detract...

On March 7, 2021, Houthi rebels – also known as Ansar Allah – fired a salvo of missiles at Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Ras Tanura and Dhahran. Despite uncertainty regarding the motives behind the attack or its success, the very next day Iran’s IRGC sought to threaten Israel by forging an implicit link between the Houthi strike and the possibility of an attack on Eilat. This incident is only the latest evidence of Iran’s perception of the Houthis as a bargaining chip in its struggle against Israel, relating to the rebel group...