How will Israel deter future Houthi attacks?

Netanyahu pledges that the Houthis will learn “the same lessons” as Hezbollah and Hamas.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel is currently planning for more intensive strikes on the Yemen-based Houthis, including assassinations of the terror group’s leaders.

Previous Israeli strikes on Houthi-controlled infrastructure, including ports and oil assets, have failed to deter the Houthis from launching ballistic missiles and explosive drones at Israel.

During a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that the Houthis would suffer the same fate as other Iranian proxies that attacked Israel.

“The Houthis will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and the Assad regime and others learned, and even if it takes time, this lesson will be learned throughout the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.

An anonymous security source told Hebrew-language outlet Ynet that Israel is gearing up for strikes on Houthi leadership and weapons depots, which may be carried out with the U.S.

“The Houthis will pay a heavy price, there will be a ratcheting up of Israeli attacks,” the official said. “But it’s nothing compared to what will happen once Trump enters office. The Americans are planning to impose an embargo on them and sanctions.”

The source added that Israel perceives the Houthis as a “tough nut to crack.”

In recent weeks, the Houthis have escalated their attacks against the Jewish state.

Last Thursday, a Ramat Gan elementary school was destroyed by a Houthi missile, triggering retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on Houthi-controlled ports and oil facilities in Yemen.

Undeterred by the strikes, the Houthis launched a missile in the early hours of Saturday morning, which struck a park in south Tel Aviv, wounding 16.

On Tuesday, the Houthis launched another missile, which sent approximately 4 million Israelis scrambling to bomb shelters. One woman was seriously injured in a fall while running to safety. The missile was intercepted.

Another launch on Wednesday was shot down, but shrapnel from the interception damaged a home in the central Israel town of Be’er Yaakov.

A drone launched by the Houthis late Wednesday afternoon triggered sirens in the southern city of Ashkelon and surrounding areas. The drone was not intercepted and crashed in an open area, according to the IDF.