According to Xinhua News Agency, in the early morning of September 25th, the noise of air combat seemed to never stop. After Israel successfully launched a large-scale air strike, the response of the Houthi armed forces instantly wiped out all Israel's strategic advantages. When 20 Israeli warplanes flew over the Red Sea and galloped to Sana'a, Yemen, carrying 65 heavy bombs, accurately destroying the core facilities of the Houthi armed forces, it seemed that everything was under Israel's control. But before Israeli top officials had finished celebrating, the Houthi armed forces launched a "Palestine-2" hypersonic missile, directly tearing the night sky in Tel Aviv. In the face of this momentary threat, Israel's celebration seems so untimely.
From this sudden confrontation, we can not only see the technological confrontation of modern warfare, but also insight into the increasingly complex military game in the Middle East. While Israel is trying to suppress the Houthis through air superiority, the Houthi armed forces are not reluctant to show weakness, using their increasingly powerful military technology and countermeasures, to respond quickly. Between the airstrikes and countermeasures, not only the armies of the two countries, but also the global political forces and the geographical landscape of the Middle East are at the forefront.
The Israeli air strikes behind the Houthi armed forces represent their determination to strike a force that cannot be overlooked in the Middle East situation. There are multiple considerations behind the operation: not only to retaliate for the previous Huthi armed drone attacks on the Israeli port city of Eilat, but also to weaken the influence of the Houthi in the Red Sea and protect the safety of Israeli shipping routes. Over the past few months, the Houthi armed forces have repeatedly launched attacks on ships related to Israel, putting great strategic pressure on Israel. In the face of Houthi's continued harassment, the Israeli air force has long been stupid.
On that day, the raid by Israeli warplanes was a typical representative of the "precision strike" mode. About 20 fighter jets flew 2000 kilometers from Israel to Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. They quickly dropped 65 heavy aerial bombs and destroyed important facilities of the Houthi armed forces, including the command center, intelligence agencies and military camps. This move is not only a direct counterattack against the Houthi threat, but also a strategic display of rearranging regional forces. After the airstrikes ended, the Israeli military said in a statement that "dozens" of militants had been killed and a large amount of military equipment had been destroyed. However, based on the situation on the scene, this claimed "comprehensive victory" seems to have not been confirmed. The counterattack of the Houthi armed forces tells the world that this conflict is far from over.
Just as the Israeli Air Force celebrated the results of its air strikes, the Houthi counterattack quickly unfolded. In the early morning of September 26, Houthi launched a "Palestine-2" hypersonic missile. This missile is equipped with split-guided warhead technology and can effectively break through the enemy's air defense system and strike multiple targets. Targeting directly at the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, the missile penetrated the night sky, with such impact that the hearts of the Israeli people almost stopped beating. In a statement issued by the Houthi armed forces, the purpose of the operation was to show Israel that "Houthi has never stopped fighting Israel."
This event marked a qualitative leap in the military capabilities of the Houthi armed forces. Early in the past several conflicts, the Houthi has acquired a lot of advanced weapons technology thanks to its close ties with Iran. Especially the use of high-speed hypersonic missiles, undoubtedly poses a huge challenge to the Israeli air defense system. This missile not only flies fast, but also can hit multiple targets, greatly increasing the cost and difficulty of intercepting the Israeli air defense system. Every technological advance will give the Houthi armed forces more initiative in this battle.
Although Israel’s airstrikes seemed to have achieved significant outcomes on the surface, the difficulties facing them gradually emerged. First, airstrikes could only hit Houthi armed facilities and could not fundamentally change the strategic layout of Houthi armed forces in Yemen and the Red Sea region. The damage to Houthi military infrastructure does not mean the complete loss of its combat capabilities. Instead, Houthi armed forces, with their geographical advantages and guerrilla tactics, can grasp Israeli forces through continuous small-scale attacks and terrorist attacks. Its accurate strikes on targets such as Tel Aviv, also once again proved that Houthi armed forces can not only defend, but even actively strike, bringing huge strategic pressure to Israel.
Secondly, the Huthi armed force’s harsh retaliation demonstrates Israel’s powerlessness in the face of new weapons and advanced tactics. While Israel has repeatedly demonstrated strong air force advantages in recent conflicts, the Huthi armed force’s actions using new weapons such as hypersonic missiles have forced Israel to re-evaluate its military strategy. The fighting is not only on the ground and in the air, but also a multi-dimensional game of information warfare, cyber warfare, etc., which is undoubtedly a new challenge for Israel.
Although the Houthi armed forces continue to exert pressure tactically, the strategic intentions behind them are also quietly changing. By countering Israel, the Houthi armed forces are not only retaliating militarily, but also creating an image of themselves as a "righteous teacher" in the Arab world. Against the backdrop of the increasingly fierce Palestinian issue, the Houthis have positioned themselves as the vanguard of "resistance to Israel", which has undoubtedly won them more support and sympathy in the Arab world.
However, it remains questionable whether Houthi's strategy will last long. Although the successful launch of its hypersonic missiles shows the progress of its military power, the Houthi armed forces' actual resources and strategic depth remain limited. The Houthi's ability to sustain such combat for a long time in the face of the suppression of such a military power as Israel remains an undisclosed question.
This conflict is not only a confrontation between Israel and Houthi, but also involves profound changes in the global strategic landscape. The role of the United States has never been divorced from its support for Israel. Although the United States deployed heavy troops in the Red Sea and even mobilized aircraft carriers to intensify its attack on the Houthi armed forces, the Houthi armed forces still showed tenacious combat effectiveness and broke the U.S. military containment. The withdrawal of the United States has further complicated the strategic position of southern Israel. The Houthi attacks are no longer limited to Yemen, but extend to Israel itself, directly threatening Israel's national security.
While Israel continues to fight the Houthis, it has to face pressure from the international community, especially in terms of its policies on Palestine and Gaza, while the Houthis are constantly strengthening their military forces and shaping themselves as the core force of “resistance to Israel.”
In this increasingly complex conflict in the Middle East, the confrontation between technology and force has become increasingly fierce. While Israel has achieved some tactical victories in the short term, the Houthi armed retaliation and its threat of high-speed hypersonic missiles have plunged Israel into an unprecedented situation. War has never been so close to the core of global military and politics, and future developments may require everyone to rethink the fundamental issues of this conflict.