How will Iran respond to the Israeli attack on Hodeidah in Yemen?
The Iran-backed Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks on Israel after the Israeli army attacked the port of Hodeidah in Yemen on Saturday. Iran is now in the spotlight for supporting the Houthis and pushing them and other groups to step up their attacks on Israel over the past nine months.
The port of Hodeidah “serves as a gateway for Iranian weapons for the terrorist Houthi regime. The Israeli forces are capable of operating wherever necessary and will attack any force that endangers Israelis,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
The Houthis appear determined to call what they see as an Israeli bluff. Houthi spokesman Yayha Saree vowed on Sunday that the group would hit back at Israel.
“The Yemeni forces confirm that they will respond to this blatant aggression and will not hesitate to attack the Israeli enemy’s vital targets,” Saree said, according to Iranian media outlet IRNA. “He said the (Israeli) regime’s attacks hit a power plant and fuel tanks, all civilian targets. The Yemeni forces are preparing for a long war with the Israeli regime.”
Iran is closely monitoring developments in Yemen, but is also positioning itself in the region to benefit from the new tensions between Israel and the Houthis. Iran had already mobilized the Houthis to attack Israel in October. Now there has been a backlash, but Iran trusts its proxies and their capabilities. We can see this trust in the headlines of Iranian state media today. “Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force receives new radars and missile interceptors,” reads one headline. This headline focuses on Iran’s military defense capabilities. Iran is saying that it can intercept air attacks.
The Iranians boast to state media IRNA of an “Israel-linked ship still burning 2 days after attack on Yemen.” This shows that they are contrasting this “still burning” with the fires in Hodeidah. Iran says: “We can make things burn too.” This is followed by highlights of “China-Iran, Iran-China container trains resumed operations,” showing that Iran itself is moving closer to China even as Iran’s proxies oppose Israel.
Iran as a regional power
Iran sees itself as a regional power and uses the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas to attack Israel. But Iran believes that it can avoid any setback within its borders.
Iranian media also stressed today that the so-called “Palestinian resistance” had dealt a “heavy blow” to the “Zionists in Rafah.” This shows that Iran continues to closely monitor developments in Gaza. It wants a long war of attrition there, in which it can continue its attacks on Israel and force Israel into a long war in Gaza.
Finally, the pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen media highlighted on Sunday that Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian regime leader allied with Iran and Russia, said: “Russia’s steadfastness in its positions creates a multipolar world.” This quote also refers to Iran’s own view of the region and the world. Iran wants a multipolar world anchored in relations with Russia and China. It achieves this through economic associations such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, two groups that Iran recently joined and which are linked to Russia and China.
Although Iran understands the message in Hodeidah, it is working with the Houthis and Hezbollah to change the “equation” with Israel. This means that Iran now wants to expand the Houthis’ front line. They attacked Eilat in southern Israel and the Red Sea. Now they are trying to attack from the sea towards Tel Aviv. This is a new “arena” for Iran as it unites all these proxy groups against Israel to try to encircle Israel with threats.
Although Iran is expected to receive a message from Hodeidah, it is likely that Iran has already factored Israeli retaliation into its plans for the Houthis and is pushing the Houthis to escalate. Iran wants to push both Hezbollah and the Houthis into increased attacks as Hamas suffers losses in Gaza. Iran is well aware of Israel’s capabilities, but believes that under the new “equation” the Houthis have created, it can create tensions without causing major setbacks for Tehran itself.
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