Bomb the Houthis: A strategic opportunity - opinion

HOUTHI SUPPORTERS burn US and Israeli flags at a rally in Sana

For the past 50 days, Israel has been under repeated attack from the Houthis in Yemen, who have launched both ballistic missiles and drones at our cities, towns and ships.

The Houthis are pure evil.

Their flag proudly proclaims their slogan: “God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, and Victory for Islam.”

The Houthis are also ruthless in their quest to take over Yemen, where they commit atrocious crimes and human rights violations against innocent civilians, women, and children, including rape and torture.

We cannot afford to be complacent with such fanatics.

A view of ballistic missiles during a military parade held by the Houthis to mark the anniversary of their takeover in Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

A view of ballistic missiles during a military parade held by the Houthis to mark the anniversary of their takeover in Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

Therefore, Israel’s political and military leadership needs to think long-term, strategically, and out of the box. We need to retaliate immediately with a massive ballistic missile strike on the Houthis. This is a strategic move that would change the entire dynamic of the war and the region for years to come.

Strength through strategy

The logic for this strategy is as follows.

Show strength: We need to show the world that the Jews are strong. After the horrific surprise attacks on October 7, and our restrained response, Israel is perceived as weak by its citizens – the Jewish people – and the world at large.

This scares the Israeli population and Jews around the world; and encourages our enemies whose culture and values systems fear strength and thrive on weakness. Continuing to ignore the Houthi attacks on us will only invite more aggression.

We have tried the strategy of ignoring attacks over the years on numerous fronts; shots fired from Beit Jala at Gilo, rockets fired from Gaza, missiles launched from Lebanon; and it has always failed. Bombing the Houthis would demonstrate clearly that the Jews are strong, that we are not afraid to go on the offense, that we are not afraid to use long-range missiles and wage wars on multiple fronts, and that we are not afraid to confront Iran and its proxies, wherever they may be.

Change the narrative: The fact that the Houthis’ flag states clearly, “Death to America, Death to Israel” has never received any airtime in the United States. If we initiate a dramatic missile offensive against the Houthis, this will become the talk of the day in Western media. The discussion around the war will pivot from “Israel-Palestine” which does not play well for us, to “the forces of good vs the axis of evil.”

This will further strengthen US support of Israel as we become more clearly engaged against Iran and its proxies who want to destroy the West. Americans do not like people who chant “Death to America.”

Seize the opportunity: Today there is unprecedented American firepower in the Middle East, including the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group.

This is a historic opportunity that will not likely repeat itself. We should use this as an opportunity to attack the Houthis and draw America into the military conflict, rather than letting the Biden Administration give us a friendly bear hug and pressure us to stop the war before we have achieved our goals.

Of course, the administration would be upset at first, but then they would look at the ratings numbers and see that their involvement would boost the president’s popularity, and his advisers would remind him that wartime presidents usually get reelected.

Win allies: The Saudis will be very, very pleased if we help them take care of their Houthi problem and will come to view us as genuine allies. This would be an excellent point to resume the peace negotiations. Perhaps the Houthis will even lob a few missiles toward Saudi Arabia, and the latter would join us in destroying the former – a strategic move long overdue.

Therefore, with a massive, long-range missile attack, we have the opportunity to change the entire dynamic of the war and the Middle East for generations to come.

We should not hesitate to take it.

The writer is an Israeli attorney, activist, and businessman.