Analyzing the Houthi-Israel Attacks

Sometimes it's better to give things a few days to unfold, rather than try to be first

Smoke rises from the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah following a July 20 Israel strike. Image source

I always tell other analysts not to write about or even try to analyze events immediately after they occur. I say this for two reasons: one, we cannot keep up with major news agencies like AP and Reuters, and two, there’s always so much more to be understood in the details that come out later.

The latest strike on Tel Aviv is no exception. When I woke on the morning of July 19, I had messages from people telling me it was by Hezbollah and asking what kind of weapon they used. Within an hour, the media revealed that the Houthis attacked Tel Aviv using a modified Samad-3 attack drone launched from Yemen. The strike killed one man and injured four others and came hours after Israel announced it had killed a senior Hezbollah commander in neighboring Lebanon. The next day, Israel struck the Houthi port of Hodeidah using F-15 fighter jets, destroying fuel depots and other port infrastructure, reportedly killing six people and injuring 83 others.

Now that we have the facts, we can do some analysis.