The threat of Iran's proxies isn't gone, Israeli gov't can't afford to lose focus - editorial

With careful optimism and a diplomatic race that runs two steps forward and three three steps back on a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, the war appears with no real end in sight. With the rocket threat from Lebanon reduced from the ceasefire, Israelis were slammed yet again on Saturday with a mammoth rocket attack, launched from about 2,000 kilometer away.

The hypersonic missile launched by the Houthis, one of Iran’s last standing militia proxy groups, lightly wounded 16 people when it crashed into Tel Aviv-Jaffa, announcing its entrance with rocket sirens across central Israel at around 3 a.m.

Twenty-one other people were treated at the scene by medics, including one person for anxiety.

Wednesday night began similarly, sirens ringing throughout Israel. The night was ruined and fear was reinforced by a group that - absurdly - resides so far away geographically, so far away from this conflict, with so little stake in the game.

Israel’s response came in the form of strikes throughout Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, and the port city of Hodeidah. The targets were Houthi strongholds and military sites, including those that facilitate the transfer of Iranian weapons.

Residents feel repercussions

Foreign Minister Israel Katz later confirmed the attack, warning Houthi leaders that “Israel’s long arm will not fail to reach you. Whoever hits Israel, their hand will be cut off, and whoever hurts us will be hurt sevenfold. We will not accept missiles on Israel, nor a compromise of shipping routes. We will strike fiercely; we refuse to allow this reality to continue.”

The Houthis claimed on Saturday to have struck a military target; so far, it’s only residents who have felt the repercussions. Spokesperson Yahya Qasim Sare’e stated that the operation was part of the “promised conquest and the holy jihad.”

The Wednesday attack followed an attempted attack by the Houthis on Monday. In the afternoon, the missile was intercepted before it reached Israeli territory. That night, according to the proxy group, the US and Britain struck military sites in Yemen belonging to the Houthis.

By press time, the Houthis had launched missiles towards Israel eight times this month.

Let’s not forget who is puppeteering this whole show: The Islamic regime of Iran, which daily and systematically sacrifices, mutilates, and kills its own people, those it deems as dissidents, for the greater goal of an Islamist Middle East.

“This group is now posing as the ‘last man standing’ in Iran’s axis… groups that have been attacking Israel. However, it does not appear to be deterred by Israeli attacks on various types of infrastructure… Israel has carried out three rounds of retaliatory strikes on the Houthis… the group continues to attack,” wrote Post defense analyst Seth Frantzman.

“The enemy is still there in most cases. The Houthis are one example where precision strikes on infrastructure such as ports may not work to win,” he added.

This region is older than Islam itself, the tenacity of its diverse groups much stronger - and they all deserve better. Iran propped up Hamas in its Jihadi approach, plunging this country into a war that has not stopped for over 400 days, as 100 of our brothers and sisters fade away in tunnels under the ground.

Hamas even stated in response that it “highly values the genuine stance of our brothers… as they continue to support our Palestinian people and champion their just cause… We affirm the strong and solid relationship that binds the Palestinian and Yemeni people.”

The hostages need to be brought home immediately. That is a playing card in this war that does not enjoy the privilege of time. The fact that Iran has set its targets on Israel is not new; the Houthi attacks show that clear as day.

This means that while one threat is immediate and timely - and is already exacting its price in the unity and well-being of Israeli society - the other is immediate and less bound by time because of the nature of Tehran’s goals.

This government is sworn to protect Israel’s security; its eye cannot be taken off the ball. Iran’s axis is not destroyed, though it is weak. It is up to this government on our end, and the international community and Yemeni forces on the other, to remove this threat that is the Houthis and restore stability to this war-sodden country.