Mike Whitney – The Unz Review Sept 15, 2024

An early morning missile attack triggered sirens across Israel sending more than 2 million Israelis rushing for the safety of nearby shelters. A spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces claimed responsibility for the missile strike that was launched from mainland Yemen and landed in an area in central Israel. There were no reports of casualties or damage to vital infrastructure.

The launching of the long-range hypersonic missile represents a significant upgrade in the Houthi’s arsenal that threatens to dramatically impact the regional balance of power. And while it is too soon to determine whether Yemen’s new-found offensive capability will be sufficient to alter the course of the war in Gaza, it is worth noting that their state-of-the-art ballistic missiles easily eluded all of Israel’s cutting edge aerial defense systems making them virtually obsolete overnight. In short, Israel has no means of defending itself against incoming surface-to-surface hypersonic missiles launched from Yemen.

The speed at which the hypersonic missiles travel is a marvel in itself and explains why Israel’s air defenses are no match. Experts estimate that the missile fired at Israel was flying at 13,000 km/h which means that it took just 12 minutes to go from Yemen to Israel 1,267 miles away. At this speed, radar and interceptors are incapable of detecting or shooting down the approaching missile. Thus, Israel’s advanced aerial defense systems—including Iron Dome, Hetz and David’s Sling—are rendered useless. Early reports indicate that Israel fired at least 20 defensive missiles to stop the attack, but failed to even come close to Yemen’s high-speed hypersonic missile.

Check out this 1 minute video by Yemeni missile expert, Brigadier General Abed al-Thawr talking to reporters at #AlMayadeen

It would be impossible to overstate the significance of this overnight development. If Israel has no way to defend itself against Houthi missile attacks, then the Houthi’s merely have to improve their ability to strike strategic targets while increasing their stockpile of hypersonic missiles. Once they achieve those objectives, they’ll be in a position to discourage Israel from continuing its bloody rampage Gaza.(which is their stated goal) It’s quite clear, that Israel is not going to expose itself to vast casualties and structural devastation merely to continue to inflict maximum pain on a civilian population. If Ansar Allah (aka—the Houthis) is able to change Israel’s deranged behavior through deterrents, then we may see a faster end to the conflict. And that is the outcome that most people seek.

In a formal statement that was released on Twitter on Sunday, a Houthi spokesman said:

“The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of Allah Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting an “Israeli” enemy military objective in the area of Yaffa (Tel Aviv) in occupied Palestine. The operation was executed with a new hypersonic ballistic missile, which, by the grace of Allah, successfully reached its target. The enemy’s defenses failed to intercept and counter it. The missile traveled a distance of approximately 2,040 km in 11 and a half minutes, causing fear and panic among the Zionists, with more than two million Zionists rushing to shelters for the first time in the history of the “Israeli” enemy.

This operation is part of the fifth phase… of the efforts of the heroic missile forces, who made tremendous efforts in developing missile technology to meet the…. challenges of the battle against the Zionist enemy, and successfully reach its target and overcoming all obstacles, including American and “Israeli” interception systems on land and sea, as well as other systems.

The… American-British … defense systems will not prevent Yemen from fulfilling its religious, moral, and humanitarian duty in supporting the Palestinian people. The “Israeli” enemy should expect more strikes and special operations in the future, as we approach the first anniversary of the blessed October 7th operation. These operations include responses to their criminal aggression on the city of Al-Hodeidah, as well as continued support for the oppressed Palestinian people.” Houthi Spokesman @Kahlissee

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a terse statement following the incident saying:

They should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” he added, referencing the Israeli attack on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah in July which followed a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv.

After which he added:

“We are in a multi-arena campaign against Iran’s evil axis that strives to destroy us.” CNN

As yet, there is no evidence that Iran was involved in the missile attack on Israel. Even so, with the fighting in the north sharply intensifying over the last week, (between Israel and Hezbollah) the prospects of a broader regional war continue to grow.

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