Since the outbreak of the new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Houthis' "ship raids" have taken a huge toll on Israel. Recently, the Houthis even claimed that the Houthis attacked an Israeli freighter with their self-produced "Hatim-2" hypersonic missile. To Israel's surprise, Houthi missiles even hit Israel's Haifa port, and there is no place for absolute safety in Israel itself.
Just as people were questioning whether the Houthis actually possessed hypersonic missiles, the Houthis released a video of the launch of the Hatim-2 hypersonic missile. In the video, we can see that the Houthi missile launch platform launched a light yellow missile in an unknown desert area, and the missile quickly lifted into the air, spewing huge flames and billowing smoke, which proves that the Houthis have used advanced solid-fuel missiles, which may indeed have the ability to fly at hypersonic speeds.
Before Israel could react, Houthi missiles had already hit Israel itself. Yemen's Houthis and Iraqi Islamic Resistance Group launched a joint operation to launch multiple cruise missiles at a "key" site in the port of Haifa, with the Houthis saying "the operation successfully achieved its objectives," according to a June 28 report.
Judging from the previous news, this is not the first time that the Israeli port of Haifa has been attacked by a joint attack by resistance forces. It should be pointed out that the Houthi attack on the port of Haifa can be said to have pinpointed the key point of Israel. As Israel's largest port, the Port of Haifa has both military and economic significance for Israel.
From a military point of view, the port of Haifa is one of the main bases of the Israeli Navy and can provide docking, repair and replenishment services for Israeli naval vessels. It is precisely because of the port of Haifa that Israel has been able to maintain a relatively modern navy in the Middle East and to create conditions for US warships to dock on Israel's shores for a long time.
The port of Haifa was previously attacked
Since the outbreak of the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Israel has received a large amount of military equipment, weapons and materials from the United States through the port of Haifa and distributed them to various military bases and front lines. It can be said that if the Houthis and other armed forces in the Middle East have the ability to destroy the critical infrastructure of the port of Haifa, the front-line supply of the Israeli army is likely to be problematic.
From an economic point of view, the port of Haifa is just as important for Israel. Since the Houthis launched "ship raids" in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and other waters, a large number of ships from Western countries heading to the port of Haifa have been forced to make a detour to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, and have traveled tens of thousands of kilometers before they have traveled all the way to Israel.
If, at this time, Houthi missiles hit the port of Haifa, more and more shipping companies will refuse to take on the task of transporting goods to Israel, or the cost of transportation and insurance will be significantly higher. In the long run, Israel will face many difficulties and troubles in importing and exporting goods, and Israel's economic development will inevitably be greatly affected.
From this, it is not difficult to imagine that the Houthis have long been a "thorn in the side" and a thorn in the flesh for Israel. According to Israel's "retribution" character, it certainly intends to retaliate against the Houthis, but the Israeli army is completely unable to withdraw at present. In Gaza, tens of thousands of Hamas fighters have turned to guerrilla warfare.
Even if Hamas is far less of a threat to Israel than it once was, Israel must leave enough forces to guard the occupied territories. Netanyahu's government has seen many times that as soon as the Israeli army leaves, Hamas can re-establish its rule and governance in Gaza, and even Gaza City, which has long since fallen, will have Hamas police.
On the Lebanese-Israeli border, Lebanese Allah forces have fired thousands of rockets into Israel in recent weeks, and air raid sirens sound from morning to night in northern Israel. At present, Netanyahu's government is likely to send troops to invade Lebanon by force. Under such circumstances, Netanyahu's government has no time to take into account the threat of the Houthis, and can only adopt a "passive defense" strategy against the Houthis.
We have seen that the Houthis, a "backward" force in the desert, have used their own strength to bog both the United States and Israel into a quagmire. The U.S.-launched "Guardians of Prosperity" Red Sea escort operation has burned billions of dollars, and the Houthi "ship raids" have not been extinguished, but have become more and more intense.
Israel has been the biggest loser, and instead of achieving its goal of defending Israel's security, Netanyahu's government has attacked Gaza, making enemies for itself in the Middle East and the world at large. As things stand, the Houthis will attack Israel more frequently in the future, costing Israel even more.