Following Israel's recent strike on Houthi targets in Yemen, White House National Security Communications Advisor John F. Kirby said: "We did not participate in today's Israeli attack on Yemen and did not help Israel."
This is wonderful news. It shows to the Iranians, Arab states and others that Israel is an independent actor, not a "client state" of America. It also demonstrates that Israel is willing to go it alone against the advice or demands of the Americans.
It shows the Sunni Arab countries that Israel is a reliable partner against the Iranian regime because Israel will do what it must to protect itself and stop Iran and its proxies. As Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer often says, even if the Sunnis can't have the 800-pound gorilla (the U.S.) to defend them against Iranian aggression, the 250-pound gorilla (Israel) has proved a reliable alternative.
What more can we learn from Israel's attack on the (Shi'ite) Houthis?
First, the distance between Israel and its target in Hodeida, Yemen (about 2,000 kilometers) is beyond the flight range of the F-35 fighter jet. That means the Israelis had to refuel during the trip. Since America didn't help them, the Israelis either refueled mid-air by themselves or another country (Saudi Arabia, perhaps?) may have allowed them to refuel in their country. This is devastating news for the Iranians.
The flight distance between Israel and Hodeida is the same as between Israel and most of Iran. Tehran, for example, is only 1,600 kilometers from Israel. Thus, the strike is a serious warning to Iran. Iran's government talks a big game, but given Iranian and Arab culture, when people brag about their abilities, they usually do so out of fear. They hope their enemy will be deterred. Thus, such braggadocio amounts to saying, "Hold me back because I'm afraid my enemy will destroy me."
Israel's raid and the damage it caused to the Shi'ite Houthis has allowed the Sunni Yemenis, who are the majority of the country's population and formerly ran the country, to raise their heads in revolt. There are suddenly many more videos on X showing Sunnis revolting against the Houthis and Iran.
Will the Sunnis succeed in overthrowing Houthi-Iranian control of Yemen? If not now, then quite possibly in the future. In the Middle East, when people sense their enemy is weak (which Israel demonstrated in its attack), violence soon follows. If I were a Yemeni Shi'ite or a member of the Iranian government, I'd be, to put it mildly, concerned. Moreover, the Iranian people are surely encouraged by the fact that their government could not stop the Israeli airstrike.
Sadly, however, what Kirby stated signals weakness to Middle Easterners. They despise weakness. Israel's successful attack on Iran and the Houthis in Yemen demonstrates strength.
This is a huge win for Israel, but very much not for the Biden administration. Middle Easterners will undoubtedly draw the appropriate conclusions. Israel has gained new respect for its willingness to decimate its enemies.
Harold Rhode received in Ph.D. in Islamic history and later served as the Turkish Desk Officer at the U.S. Department of Defense. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
Reprinted by kind permission of JNS.
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