The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen poses a mounting threat to Israeli and American interests, despite being geographically distant from the Israel-Hamas conflict. Tehran’s support has bolstered the Houthi rebels, enabling them to acquire a diverse array of anti-ship weapons, including cruise and ballistic missiles.
Recent incidents, such as the interception of an Israel Airline EI AI plane and the launching of attack drones and long-range cruise missiles towards Israel, intercepted by the USS Carney in the Red Sea, underscore the escalating tensions.
According to experts, the strategic location of Yemen, controlling key maritime routes like the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and having access to the Persian Gulf, heightens concerns for global trade and energy shipments. Moreover, the Houthi militia’s cyber warfare capabilities, exemplified by hacking activities targeting humanitarian organizations and media outlets in the Arabian Peninsula, raise alarms about potential disruptions to communication and flight control systems.
“Despite lacking sophisticated intelligence tools, the Houthis leverage UAVs, civilian vessels, and publicly available data for reconnaissance purposes. Their relentless targeting of ships passing through vital waterways like the Bab-al-Mandab Strait signifies their growing threat not only to regional stability but also to global commerce,” explains Prof (Dr) Nishakant Ojha, Advisor Cyber & Aerospace Security & Eminent Expert-Counter Terrorism (West Asia & Middle East).
However, “they do have other ISR resources, including UAVs, civilian vessels for scouting, publicly available data on maritime traffic, and information gathered by the Behshad, an Iranian cargo ship serving as a forward-operating and reconnaissance base for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the Red Sea,” Ojha explains to Financial Express Online.
He warns that without intervention, the Houthi militia could evolve into a formidable force akin to Hezbollah, posing significant challenges to Israel, America, and the global economy.
“In terms of cyber warfare, a hacking group called Oil Alpha, likely linked to the Houthi movement, has targeted humanitarian organizations, media outlets, and non-profits in the Arabian Peninsula through WhatsApp for digital espionage. This group has been using remote access tools to install mobile spyware like SpyNote and SpyMax, which can access various sensitive data on devices. Such hacking activities could compromise communication and flight control systems, highlighting the potential risks associated with these actions,” he explains.
Houthis possess a variety of missiles, including Scud-B and -C, North Korea Hwasong variants, Tochka, Qaher-1, Zelzal-3 ballistic missiles, and the C-802 anti-ship cruise missile with advanced Air Warfare Equipment. “Recently, they shared footage claiming to show a surface-to-air missile downing a US MQ-9 Reaper drone near Hodeida, a Yemeni port city they control on the Red Sea. The video depicted individuals retrieving debris from the water onto a beach,” says Ojha.
In the last five months, according to Ojha, “the Houthis have targeted ships from over 55 nations traveling through the Bab-al-Mandab Strait to and from Israel or the Suez Canal. These attacks involved over 100 one-way uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and ballistic missiles. Around 10-15 percent of global shipping typically passes through this important waterway connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean daily. By the pace it can be easily predicted that Houthis will be likely to get transformed into the next Hezbollah and will be a major threat to Israel America & Global Economy in coming days.”
