Houthi rebels suffer from one “crucial weakness” making them vulnerable to British military might, analysts have said, after the US and UK launched air strikes on Thursday night. While Middle East analysts claim the Western countries face a determined opposition from the Islamist group, their military lacks a key component in the coming fight.
Houthis do possess strong “maritime strike capability”, however, a report from the British security thinktank Royal United Services Institute has warned.
Before Thursday’s strikes, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Iran-backed Houthis, threatened that “any American attack will not remain without a response”.
The group’s technically advanced ability to strike ships has already been in display following attacks on several international commercial vessels in the Red Sea in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.
However, they posses a key “weakness”, the RUSI said, in a lack of effective targeting infrastructure, which could make their threat more “manageable”. This means, therefore, that the US and UK could be effective by focusing on targeted air strikes.
But this doesn’t mean they will go down without a fight, and Iran is believed to have been working to fill the gap created by their limited targeting ability. Iran has been providing intelligence from its MV Behshad surveillance shop.
The report added: “The Houthis are a persistent and determined opponent, and it is unlikely that they will halt their strikes simply because they are ineffective.”
In their fight back against the West, the Houthis are in possession of “significant maritime strike capability”, and also benefit from the potential disproportionate costs of the battle for the US and UK.
The RUSI said any operation to secure shipping against a Houthi force with the “advantage of proximity” is likely to require a “disproportionately resource-intensive effort.”
It added: “A major issue facing the Coalition is not the difficulty of intercepting Houthi missiles and UAVs per se, but rather the cost of doing so and the mismatch between tactical and strategic effectiveness.”
The USS Gravely had to shoot down two Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles (ASBMs) on December 30, in response to a distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou. That these destructive weapons are in the hands of the Houthis is a cause for concern, analysts have said.
The RUSI commented that “the fact that a non-state actor is in possession of this kind of weapon, and is employing it with impunity, is of grave concern.”
Among the Houthi arsenal is the Asef ASBM, which carries a 1,100lb (500kg) warhead and has a range of 250 miles (400km).
Houthis also have the capability to deploy drones and kamikaze boats that do not require crews, the think-tank said. The US has accused Iran of either providing the weapons or of helping enable the Houthis to build them.
A fleet of un-crewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), that can carry their explosive payload for more than 1,500km, also represent a credible threat according to the report.
It added: “The primary strength of the Houthi missile arsenal is experience. The Saudi Air Force has been conducting strikes in Yemen since 2015, which means the Houthis have become adept at minimising the damage that they cause.”
Their recent assaults made use of ASBMs for the first time in history, after the US said on Thursday they had staged their 27th attack on shipping since November 19.
Initial strikes by the US and UK on Thursday night reportedly hit Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, including weapons storage and drone-launching facilities.
