Houthis have been targeting shipping lanes in the Red Sea as part of their solidarity with Palestinian resistance groups like Hamas.
Israel carried out airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah controlled by the Houthis.
The attack was in response to a Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv on July 19, which killed one Israeli civilian.
The first time a Houthi drone had penetrated Israeli territory since hostilities began between Israel and the Houthis in October 2023.
Israel and Yemen: A Complex Conflict
On July 21, 2024, Israel carried out airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah, controlled by the Houthis. The strikes resulted in at least six deaths and significant damage to civilian infrastructure.
The attack came in response to a Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv on July 19, which killed one Israeli civilian and marked the first time a Houthi drone had penetrated Israeli territory since hostilities began between Israel and the Houthis in October 2023.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group based in Yemen, have been targeting shipping lanes in the Red Sea as part of their solidarity with Palestinian resistance groups like Hamas. The Israeli military has intercepted numerous Houthi missiles and drones throughout this period.
Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, warned that the
Israel has struck inside Yemen for the first time following a deadly drone attack launched by Houthi rebels on Tel Aviv.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the military suspects the drone was an Iranian-made Samad-3 model, launched from Yemen, which had been upgraded to extend its range.
Israel's response came a day later, when Israeli aircraft hit the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. This marked the first time Israel has struck Yemen.
Israel's army spokesman says the militant group has targeted Israeli civilians and civilian infrastructure about 200 times in the same period. Most of those launches were intercepted by US Central Command, while Israel’s air defenses have also intercepted Houthi drones and missiles inside and outside Israel’s airspace.
Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, warned that the ‘blood of Israeli citizens has a price,’ and that if Israelis are attacked, the result will be identical to that seen in Lebanon and Gaza.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Sunday in a televised address on Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV that the group intended to continue ‘the fifth stage of escalation in support of Gaza.’ Friday’s drone attack on Tel Aviv signaled the beginning of that stage, he also said.
Israel and Iran have already traded one direct exchange since October 7.
Accuracy
The Houthis have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza.
Israel's army spokesman says the militant group has targeted Israeli civilians and civilian infrastructure about 200 times in the same period. Most of those launches were intercepted by US Central Command, while Israel’s air defenses have also intercepted Houthi drones and missiles inside and outside Israel’s airspace.
Israel's response came a day later, when Israeli aircraft hit the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. This marked the first time Israel has struck Yemen.
Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, warned that the ‘blood of Israeli citizens has a price,’ and that if Israelis are attacked, the result will be identical to that seen in Lebanon and Gaza.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(95%)
The author uses language that depicts the Houthis as extremists and a rogue actor, implying they are unreasonable in their actions towards Israel. The article also mentions that the Houthis have been targeting Israeli civilians and civilian infrastructure about 200 times, which could be seen as an attempt to elicit an emotional response from readers against the Houthis.
The Houthis are a rogue actor in the region
The Houthis have targeted Israeli civilians and civilian infrastructure about 200 times
On July 20, the Israeli air force attacked the Yemeni port of Hodeidah controlled by the Houthis, resulting in at least six deaths and damage to a fuel storage facility and power plant.
A Houthi drone struck Tel Aviv on July 19, killing one person and penetrating Israeli territory for the first time since hostilities began in October 2023.
Accuracy
The US-led campaign against the Houthis has cost between $1.8bn and $4bn since January 2024.
Three Reaper drones have been lost by the US over Yemen during this operation, each costing $30m.
Deception
(30%)
The author makes editorializing statements and uses emotional manipulation by describing the Houthi attack on Israel as a 'technological and symbolic victory' and a 'symbolic victory even against the backdrop of Israel’s bloody retaliation'. The author also selectively reports information by focusing only on the failures of US foreign policy towards the Houthis, while ignoring any potential reasons for these failures. There is no clear evidence of deception regarding facts or science in this article.
These developments demonstrate not only the failure of the United States’ bombing campaign to deter and degrade the Houthis’ capability of attacking Israel and Red Sea shipping, but also the US’s inability to prevent a regional war – its declared top diplomatic priority since October 2023.
The fact that the Houthi drone penetrated so deep into Israeli territory on July 19 is seen in Sanaa as a symbolic victory even against the backdrop of Israel’s bloody retaliation.
The Houthi attack on Israel came at the nine-month mark of the start of their intervention on the side of Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups fighting the Israeli occupation forces.
Fallacies
(80%)
The author makes several appeals to authority when mentioning the opinions of Senator Jack Reed and President Biden. He also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the US actions in Yemen as 'genocide' and 'unimaginable atrocities'. However, no formal fallacies or dichotomous depictions were found.
]The views expressed in this article are the author[s] own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera[s] editorial stance.[
Senator Jack Reed admonished US President Joe Biden in January, saying: ‘So you’ve got this issue that will be emerging of how long can we continue to fire expensive missiles.’
President Biden himself has admitted that the strikes against Houthis do not work.
The Houthis have repeatedly made clear that their attacks will stop as soon as there is a ceasefire.
He has also refused to use the most effective way to stop the Houthis: to press Israel into putting an end to the genocide in Gaza.
Bias
(15%)
The author expresses a clear bias against the US foreign policy and its failure to deter Houthi attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping. He also implies that the US is responsible for the escalating tensions in the Red Sea region by not stopping Israeli actions against Palestinians and not pressuring Israel to end its genocide in Gaza.
It has also enabled Israel to escalate not only against the Houthis, but also against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran.
President Biden himself has admitted that the strikes against Houthis do not work.
The US-led campaign against the Houthis has not given many results.
Israel carried out airstrikes on Hudaydah, a Yemeni port city held by the Houthis
Three people were killed and 87 injured in the Israeli strikes
The port is the main conduit for food imports, fuel and aid to impoverished northern Yemen
Accuracy
Israeli officials claimed the strikes were in response to a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv that killed one Israeli and wounded several others
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in its omission of certain details and its author's opinion presented as fact. It fails to mention that the Israeli government has a history of targeting civilian infrastructure in Yemen, which could be seen as a form of collective punishment. Additionally, it does not disclose that some experts believe the attack on the port may have been motivated by Israeli interests rather than a genuine response to the drone attack on Tel Aviv.
Yemeni scholars and former American officials who study the country said that the Israeli strikes would do little harm to the Houthis.
. . .Israel’s counterattack on the Houthis, which set a vital Yemeni port ablaze, will do little to deter the militia, Yemeni and international experts said. A fire at an oil-storage building on Saturday after Israel struck Hudaydah, a port city in Yemen that the Houthis hold.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi pledges to launch more attacks against Israel, stating that airstrikes on the port of Hodeida will not deter the group.
The recent Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv has changed the rules of engagement and opened a new phase in operations against Israel.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree threatens Israel, saying that the rebels’ response to Israeli aggression is inevitably coming and will be huge.
Israel intercepts a missile fired from Yemen towards the Red Sea resort town of Eilat, noting that it did not cross into Israeli territory.
Houthi attacks on Israel are in solidarity with the people of Gaza and will continue as long as the war with Hamas continues.
The recent airstrikes on Hodeida port have significantly impacted Yemen’s economy by destroying five cranes and reducing the port’s fuel storage capacity from 150,000 tons to 50,000.
Israel’s response is meant to project a message to other enemies, particularly Lebanon’s Hezbollah, that it is capable and willing to target dual-use civilian-military infrastructure.
Accuracy
The recent Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv has changed the rules of engagement and opened a new phase in operations against Israel.
Israel intercepts a missile fired from Yemen towards the Red Sea resort town of Eilat, noting that it did not cross into Israeli territory.
Houthi attacks on Israel are in solidarity with the people of Gaza and will continue as long as the war with Hamas continues.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the Houthi leader's position and does not mention any potential consequences or counterarguments. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing the Houthis as 'steadfast and brave people' and a 'major psychological blow' to Israel. Additionally, there are statements made by individuals other than the author, specifically quotes from Press TV, Mehr news agency, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, and Mohammed Abdulsalam.
Yemeni people are pleased to be in direct confrontation with the Israeli enemy, and they are steadfast and brave people.
The Houthi leader vowed that Yemen will continue attacking Israel in solidarity with the people of Gaza for as long as the war with Hamas in Gaza continues, and said it will ‘move to a new level of anti-Israel operations’ in the immediate future.
The Zionists also should know that their foolish leaders have brought them closer to growing dangers.
Fallacies
(80%)
The author reports on the statements made by the Houthi leader and other spokespersons, who threaten to attack Israel and label attacks against them as a 'major psychological blow' to Israel. This is an example of an appeal to emotion fallacy, as the authors are attempting to elicit an emotional response from readers rather than presenting objective information. Additionally, the author reports on the Houthi's past actions of attacking Israel with ballistic missiles and drones, but does not provide any context or analysis on why these attacks occurred or their significance. This is an example of a lack of context fallacy, as readers may be left with an incomplete understanding of the situation. Furthermore, the author reports on the Israeli military's response to these attacks and their belief that striking civilian infrastructure will project a message to Israel's enemies. This is an example of a hasty generalization fallacy, as it assumes that all Iran-backed groups will respond in the same way and that attacking civilian infrastructure is an effective deterrent.
The Houthi leader vowed that Yemen will continue attacking Israel in solidarity with the people of Gaza for as long as the war with Hamas in Gaza continues, and said it will ‘move to a new level of anti-Israel operations’ in the immediate future.
The vast majority of the Iran-backed group’s projectiles have been intercepted by US forces stationed in the Red Sea and Israeli air defenses and fighter jets, or have missed their target. But until Friday’s deadly attack in Tel Aviv, Israel chose not to respond to those attacks.
The IAF believed that the strike would project a message to Israel’s enemies, especially Lebanon’s Hezbollah, that Israel is capable and willing to target dual-use civilian-military infrastructure and carry out what could be considered disproportionate responses to attacks.
Bias
(0%)
The author does not make any assertions in the article, but rather reports on statements made by the Houthi leader and other Houthi spokespersons. However, the language used by the Houthi leader and spokespersons to describe their intentions towards Israel demonstrates a clear anti-Israel bias. They use derogatory terms such as 'enemy' and 'Zionists' to refer to Israel, and vow to continue attacking Israel in solidarity with Palestinians. They also label Israeli actions as 'aggression' and claim that they will not abide by any rules of engagement. This language reflects a hostile attitude towards Israel and a desire for conflict.
The Houthi leader vowed that Yemen will continue attacking Israel in solidarity with the people of Gaza for as long as the war with Hamas in Gaza continues, and said it will ‘move to a new level of anti-Israel operations’ in the immediate future.
The Zionists also should know that their foolish leaders have brought them closer to growing dangers.
Yemeni people are pleased to be in direct confrontation with the Israeli enemy, and they are steadfast and brave people.
