IDF Strikes Houthi Sites in Yemen in Response to Houthi Drone Attack on Eilat

Latest Developments

IDF Responds to Drone Attack: The IDF struck military targets affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on September 25, a day after an explosive drone launched by the terrorist organization slammed into the Israeli resort city of Eilat, injuring 20 people. Dozens of aircraft, including 20 fighter jets along with reconnaissance and refueling planes, took part in the raid, dropping over 65 munitions on seven Houthi targets around the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz asserted that “dozens of Houthi terror operatives” were killed in the attack, which coincided with the broadcast of a recorded speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
Targets Struck: Among the targets the IDF said it had struck in Sanaa were the Houthis’ General Staff Command headquarters, security and intelligence compounds, and the headquarters of the Houthis’ propaganda department. The air raid was the 19th time the Israeli Air Force had launched strikes against the Houthis in Yemen since the Hamas-led atrocities on October 7, 2023, with jets flying roughly 1,367 miles to carry out the latest strikes. The IDF said that it would “conduct additional offensive operations” against more Houthi targets in the “near future.”
IDF Amends Fault in Air Defenses: The Israeli Air Force launched an internal investigation into the failed interception of the Houthi drone that crashed into an Eilat shopping center on September 24, concluding that the unmanned aerial vehicle had been detected at “a relatively late stage” and that two attempts to intercept the drone with the Iron Dome system failed. Without naming the reason for the late detection, the IDF said that the “fix has been implemented in practice.” Additionally, the commanding officer of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, implemented “several additional steps to strengthen readiness, detection, and interception capabilities” in the Eilat region to prevent future failures to intercept incoming threats.

FDD Expert Response

“The latest Israeli strikes in Sanaa are an expected response to the Houthis’ ongoing attacks, especially the drones that struck Eilat this week. Targeting Houthi military institutions, especially stores of drones, is important, but it is unlikely to deter future Houthi aggression. To disrupt Houthi capabilities and deter attacks, Israel will need to find and target the group’s leadership and hold Iran accountable for arming and supporting the Houthis.” — Bridget Toomey, Research Analyst

“While Israeli airstrikes have inflicted real damage on the Houthis’ infrastructure, they fall short of the force required to compel such a hardened organization to halt its campaign of attacks on the Jewish state. For the Houthis, strikes against Israel are not merely a response to assist Hamas in Gaza but rather a religious duty embedded in their ethos. As long as the war in Gaza endures, the Houthis are unlikely to abandon their campaign against Israel.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal