WhatsappThe war with the Houthis, a major Iranian proxy in Yemen, has not only continued to be a stubborn front when it comes to attacking Israel, but the same group has plunged its own country into a massive civil war for years. Yesterday’s direct hit on Israel’s southern Ramon airport by a Houthi loitering munition (kamikaze drone) was a reminder that, although 2,526 km away, the terrorist controlled region inside Yemen still poses a major threat to Israel.
Besides the standard kamikaze drone strikes, the Houthis have, since May, started ramping up ballistic missile strikes on Israel. The Iranian proxy has launched more than 70 ballistic missiles and at least 23 drones at Israel since the end of the Gaza ceasefire in March. While this has been seen as just a mere nuisance to Israelis due to Israel’s missile defense systems, there have been individual incidents like the Houthi attack on May 4, 2025 that saw a Houthi missile hit within the boundaries of Ben Gurion Airport.
The most significant development has been the Houthis use of a drone and a projectile with a cluster bomb warhead on August 22nd. Since then, the Houthis have used a ballistic missile with cluster munitions three times and has shown no sign of ebbing despite Israel’s take down of their entire senior leadership, including the Houthi self appointed “prime minister.”
With yesterday’s strike bringing the Houthi threat back into focus, the recent news that Iran has moved its chemical weapons development labs and delivery systems factories to Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen is particularly alarming.
On Sunday, Yemen’s Information Minister, Moammar al-Eryani, accused Iran of supplying materials for chemical weapons production to Houthi-controlled areas. He claimed that experts from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were directly supervising the construction of a covert facility to produce internationally prohibited weapons. “The Houthi terrorist militia has established a factory for producing chemical weapons, under the direct supervision and management of Iranian experts,” said Mr Eryani. “The Tehran regime recently smuggled toxic gases and materials used in their manufacture, in batches, into areas under its control,” he added. “Our confirmed sources indicate that the militia has already begun preparing those deadly materials and mounting them on ballistic missiles and drones.”
Given this development, yesterday’s direct strike is all the more significant. After all, imagine what would have happened if the Houthis had used a bomb with chemical weapons on it or even a ballistic missile with a cluster bomb that had chemical weapons. Even if Israel were to successfully intercept a ballistic missile, which it often does, if the missile is already on a descent and the cluster bomb has opened to release its munitions then the chemical weapons within can still wreck havoc despite a direct interception.
Israel’s government issued the following generic response to the chemical weapons threat posed by the Houthis: “Israel will respond to any threats from those attempting to harm the security of our citizens.” Short of any real proactive strategy on how to take down the Houthis, the terror proxy’s use of loitering munitions and/or ballistic missiles with cluster munitions coupled with chemical weapons remains the gravest threat Israel has faced since the start of the nearly two year seven front war.
If the US believes that the chemical threat is reserved only for Israel, the Houthis can use their newfound knowledge of chemical weapons to sneak in and attack the US home front as well. After all, the Houthis’ slogan is “Death to Israel, Death to America, and Death to the Jews.”
Israel has been able to hit Houthi controlled Yemen on many occasions and even decapitated their political leadership, but without a true take down of the entire Houthi controlled area, the Sanaa based terror proxy poses an immediate threat to not only Israel, but the US as well.
