Houthi hit needs severe response

Sunday’s Houthi missile attack that forced the closure of Israel’s Ben-Gurion international airport adds a grave new dimension to the Middle East crisis and demands a resolute response. Iran’s thumbprints are all over what was a rare success for the Yemen-based terrorists. As former Israeli military commander and defence minister Benny Gantz warned: “This is not Yemen, this is Iran. It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at Israel, and it must bear responsibility … (this) must lead to a severe response against Tehran.”

Shockingly for Israelis, who normally can count on such attacks misfiring or being neutered by the country’s Arrow 3 or US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence systems, the missile – launched from Yemen and with a 2500km range – slipped through despite repeated attempts to shoot it down. It landed near the airport’s main terminal, injuring eight people. Its main impact, as Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree boasted, was to warn the world’s airlines that Israel’s main gateway “is no longer safe for air travel”. Another Houthi leader, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, said: “The attack on Ben-Gurion proves our ability to strike fortified sites inside Israel. We have demonstrated our capability to strike at the military prestige of the US, UK and Israel. There are no red lines in this confrontation.”

Not only Israel but the civilised world has a stake in ensuring such unbridled terrorism by the Iranian proxy is swiftly crushed. Like Mr Gantz, Donald Trump was right when he posted: “Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN. Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that force will stop there.” Iran, the US President said, was dictating every move: “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”

The challenge to Mr Trump is to make good on that warning. Too often since his return to the White House, he has issued similar warnings to Hamas terrorists in Gaza and to Iran and the Houthis without following through. More is needed than the current US airstrikes on Houthi hideouts in Yemen launched from two US aircraft carriers. Mr Trump has made clear his hopes for nuclear negotiations with Iran’s ayatollahs. Talks about talks are under way, but Tehran remains unrelenting in its support for the Houthis, who appear to be still capable of launching major attacks.

Reports that Israel has issued call-up orders for tens of thousands of reservists ahead of an expanded offensive against Hamas in Gaza leave no doubt about the depth of the security crisis confronting Israel. It will be amplified if effective action is not taken to halt the terrorists’ ability to attack and close down key infrastructure in the Jewish state.