Today is the day after Christmas and the second day of Hanukkah. You could say that Israel, in a way, lit the second Hanukkah candle in Yemen a few hours ago.
Earlier in the day, the IDF carried out massive airstrikes against those Iran-backed Houthi Rebels who have been an increasing thorn in Israel’s side. Over the past several weeks, barrages of ballistic missiles launched from Yemen toward Israel have become a daily occurrence. Not only that, a consistent barrage of drones has also been emanating from Yemen.
The Last Proxy Standing?
Yemen has now become very crucial to Iran’s overall strategy, which has unraveled over the past few weeks. The Iranian axis, or “ring of fire,” that surrounds Israel on all sides has been pulverized by the Israel Defense Forces. Whether it’s Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, or the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, this carefully constructed ring of fire is now being demolished before the Ayatollahs’ eyes in Iran.
Even the Iran-backed militias in Iraq stated two days ago that they are taking a step back from attacking Israel. They see which way the winds are blowing, and they don’t want to be smashed next.
We now have four rings on that Iranian ring of fire—really the main four—largely out of commission. This turn of events makes Yemen and the Houthis even more important to the Ayatollahs. They, in some respects, are the last man standing.
Hightime To Deal With The Houthi Problem
The Houthis continue launching projectiles toward Israel on a daily basis. Over the weekend, a ballistic missile hit Tel Aviv in Jaffa, the southern part of the city, wounding 16 people. Over the summer, an Israeli was killed as a result of one of these Houthi drones striking Tel Aviv. This has become a persistent problem.
For a while, Israel worked to contain the Houthis, carrying out major airstrikes in late September and July against the Hudaydah Port, which is the main port in Yemen. Those major strikes sent a message—or so you would have thought—resulting in a mushroom cloud and explosions above Yemen, which could reportedly be seen many miles away. The Houthis, however, obviously did not get the memo and were not deterred. In fact, not only have they continued, but they have intensified the attacks they are carrying out against Israel.
Israel conducted serious airstrikes late last week against three ports. The Houthis responded with more missiles and drones. As I have said before, evil is arrogant, reckless, demonic, and irrational—and the Houthis check all the boxes.
Which leads to today. Israel’s response came after days of Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, warning that the IDF’s decisive actions in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran mean that Israel has the ability to focus its attention on the Houthis.
Remember, Yemen is a thousand miles south of Israel. It’s not a short distance like going over the border in Lebanon or Gaza. There are a lot of factors that caused Israel to kick the Houthi can down the road and deal with it at another time unless the attacks were to intensify. Well, guess what? It has intensified. On a nightly basis, Israelis are running to bomb shelters as the Houthis launch Ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv. It’s simply unsustainable.
Now, bad news for the Houthis: Israel not only has the motivation to protect its citizenry, but now they also have the bandwidth to focus their attention.
Israel’s Airstrikes Pound Yemen
The Times of Israel reported that “Israeli jets hit Sanaa airport and Houthi sites along Yemen’s coast.” The IDF confirmed the strikes on the capital and port infrastructure on Thursday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing that the attacks will be ongoing.
“We are determined,” Netanyahu said, “to cut off this terror arm of the Iranian axis of evil. We will persist in this until we complete the job.”
Israel is all-in. The Houthis have stirred a hornet’s nest, and now they will get what they have been asking for. Israel is saying, “Enough is enough.”
As the Times of Israel detailed, “During the sortie, fighter jets struck Houthi targets along Yemen’s western coast and deeper within the country. The targets included ‘infrastructure used by the Houthi terror regime for its military activities’ at Sanaa International Airport.”
Runways were destroyed at that airport in addition to heavy bombing at the Hezyaz power plant. “Planes also hit infrastructure at the Hodeida, Salif, and Ras Qantib ports on the coast, including another power plant,” according to the report.
The IDF highlighted that “these infrastructures were used by the Houthi terror regime to transfer Iranian weapons to the region and for the entry of senior Iranian officials.”
Next: Targeting Houthi Leaders
Notably, as the leader of the Houthis, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, was giving a televised speech to the nation, the Israeli fighter jets went into action—interesting timing, to say the least!
In all likelihood, the Houthis will have to be utterly destroyed for this to stop, and that means eliminating their leadership. Both Netanyahu and Katz have said over the past few days that Israel is at the point where the Houthi leaders are fair game.
Indeed, this tactic against Iranian proxies has been seen in Israel’s operations against Hamas and Hezbollah, striking their military and terror infrastructure and, even more importantly, eliminating their leadership.
With the Houthis, Israel has already checked one of those boxes, making a significant dent in the Houthi military infrastructure.
Targeting the Houthi leaders may be the only way to truly put a stop to the terror rebels. Considering the distance between Israel and Yemen, it is not an easy task. Nevertheless, Israel clearly is equipped to handle it.
A Contrast of Administrations
While the United States and the United Kindom reportedly provided Israel with intelligence for the airstrikes carried out today, it would have been nice for them to have carried out this operation alongside Israel. The Houthis have become a global problem, quite literally shutting down shipping lanes in the Red Sea, which has profoundly impacted the US and the UK. It has also affected every other nation, with much of the world’s commerce passing through the Red Sea on a daily basis. Many have been forced to change their routes.
The US and the UK supposedly have a coalition against the Houthis. Unfortunately, we have seen nothing from them with a serious bite that could potentially deter the Houthis, especially when compared to what we have witnessed through Israeli airstrikes. It has been a purely defensive action by the US and the UK. Therefore, it’s up to Israel, once again, to do the world’s dirty work—just as they have with Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and, in many ways, the Assad regime.
I think everyone has January 20th, the date Donald Trump takes office once again, circled on their calendars. The Biden-Harris Administration made clear that they are not willing to go the extra mile to target the Houthi leadership. Needless to say, the Trump Administration is not going to take the same strategy.
Before Trump left office, he placed the Houthis on the list of globally designated terrorist organizations. After Biden stepped into office, voila, one of his first actions as president was to remove the Houthis from that list, in what appeared to be a nod to the Iranian regime.
The conduct of the United States over the past four years has been disastrous. Yet, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, in a recent interview, credited the Biden Administration with the weakening of the Iranian axis. In reality, the current administration worked to tie the hands of Israel, whose defense forces were the party responsible for crippling Iran’s proxies.
Thank God that the US pressure campaign against Iran was unsuccessful! If they had listened to the Biden-Harris Administration, Hamas would still be standing to a large degree with its leadership untouched. The same is true in the case of Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria. Iran also would still have its air defenses intact.
Israel did the direct opposite of what Biden, Sullivan, and his crew were recommending, and now Sullivan has the audacity to take the credit. Up is down, and down is up—or should I say, good is evil, and evil is good (Isaiah 5:20). It demonstrates once again that we live in Biblically prophetic times.
Even prior to taking office, the Trump administration has Iran over a barrel, and thanks to Israel they have never been more vulnerable. 2025 is the moment of reckoning for Iran’s proxies and nuclear program.
There’s craziness in the world, but Jesus came into the world to bring peace, and one day, that peace is going to come, courtesy of the Prince of Peace. Let’s celebrate Jesus being sent into the World by God Almighty to save us from our sins. Hanukkah also commemorates great victories for the God of Israel through His people. I believe some good things lie ahead come January 20th, but let’s keep our faith in God Almighty—who has always been seated on the throne and always will be.
