The Israeli Air Force recently carried out a major operation in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, code-named "Lucky Landing". On the surface, this operation was accurate and highly skilled, and it seemed very powerful.
But to be honest, this powerful assault instead exposes a deeper problem: some opponents, long ago, could not be solved by “cutting their heads” – you target higher levels, but find that their core forces are not there at all.
The Israeli plan for the operation was very careful, with their intelligence agencies accurately locating a residence in Yemen’s Sanahada district, less than three kilometers from the presidential palace, which is said to be the place where Houthi armed elite often gather.
The timing of the action was also very accurate. At that time, the top leader of the Houthi armed forcesAbdulMalik Al-HusseinThe speech is being delivered online, and it is said that more than a dozen senior officials have gathered to watch.
Suddenly, airstrikes began, a series of missiles and precision-guided bombs dropped, and the entire area was instantly covered by explosions and thick smoke.
The news quickly spread through Israeli media, as Channel 12, the Israel Times and the Jerusalem Post all cited anonymous security officials as saying the operation was very successful, including more than a dozen senior officials including Houthi’s “defense minister”, “chief of staff” and “the prime minister” were killed by bombing.
However, this seemingly perfect operation quickly fell into information confusion. The Israeli military official statement was very cautious, only admitting that it carried out air strikes on Yemen on the 28th, without specifying who was killed. Even the Israeli media themselves said that they were not sure which senior officials were present at that time.
On the other hand, the Houthi armed forces issued a completely different statement through their official media, the Saba News Agency,They firmly denied that any senior leaders had been "wiped out", strongly condemned Israel for committing war crimes, and warned that they would make the other party pay the price.
This makes it difficult to ask:Why is it so difficult to get rid of the Houthi high layers through the "cut-off" action?
The key lies in the organizational structure of the Houthi armed forces themselves. Titles such as "Minister of Defense" and "Chief of General Staff" sound high, but in fact they are more symbolic and are not directly responsible for specific operations.
The real fighting force of the Houthi armed forces comes from its decentralized command system and the way the division operates, the whole organization has no single core, power is down, and many middle and lower commanders have grown up in years of real warfare, with great autonomy.
This resilience is not exercised in a day, and in the face of years of airstrikes by Saudi Arabia, they have long established a mature early warning mechanism with a special focus on intelligence work, and have even hacked a group of spies backed by the United States and Israel.
In addition to the mountainous terrain of Yemen, which is easily dispersed and hidden, and the stubborn behavior of the members themselves, the Houthi armed forces have become difficult to defeat at once.
Why would Israel go to so much trouble and travel so far to carry out this mission when the air strikes may not be so effective?
In fact, in the final analysis, the target of this operation has never been just Yemen. It is more like Israel's move in the entire Middle East chess game. The real intention behind it is aimed at the "arc of resistance" dominated by Iran-Israel wants to disintegrate this camp little by little.
For example, in Syria, they have launched 95 attacks this year, including 85 from the air and 10 from the ground, and even sent special forces to the south of Damascus, dismantled Iranian surveillance equipment, and in the direction of Lebanon, they also made an offensive gesture, pushing forward, demanding Hezbollah to disarm.
While other members of the “Arc of Resistance” — such as Hezbollah in Lebanon — were continually hit by the Israeli army and difficult to recover, even Iran behind it seemed somewhat hesitant, the Houthi armed forces instead became one of the most stubborn and headache-causing of Israel.
So this air strike was both to hit this most difficult opponent, to defeat their momentum, to break their image of “unbreakable”; it was also to show the whole region, especially to Iran, that Israel has the ability to carry out long-range precision strikes, its hand can stretch very long.
Another point worth noting is the subtle attitude of some surrounding countries. Although the international community mostly criticizes only verbally,But Sunni countries like Saudi Arabia, and even factions within Lebanon and Yemen, may actually secretly welcome Israel's intervention to help them weaken their common opponent.
In addition, this operation also exposed a fatal weakness of the Houthi armed forces:Despite their stubborn style, Israeli fighter jets are able to freely launch over Yemen’s capital Sanaa as if they entered an unmanned zone, indicating that the Houthis have little or no decent air defense capabilities.
Regardless of whether the announced results of Operation Lucky Landing are true or false, it will be difficult for it to truly shake the Houthi armed forces. This organization may seem powerful on the outside, but the real strength is not only concentrated on the surface, but is deeply rooted in the entire organization.
This episode also shows that in today's asymmetrical conflicts, good skills and accuracy are not enough. Without a true understanding of the social structure and organizational characteristics of the opponent, even if the tactical success is repeated, the strategy may still be passive. Israel may be able to succeed in multiple air strikes, but there is still a long way to go before it can truly defeat the Houthis.