IDF No Match for Houthis Alone
Once mythologised as an unparalleled force in the Middle East, the IDF have consistently demonstrated their capabilities are totally dependent on US backing.
Israel’s recent airstrike attacks on Yemen following missile launches by Houthi rebels is another example of Israel’s inability to operate independently against even smaller, less-equipped adversaries without external assistance.
Israel is the bully and thug of Middle East, and it’s become so because Big Brother has always fought its battles for it. And if Israel wasn’t so influential with its grip on the US, it would be the laughingstock of the Middle East. But it’s not, because the US has always turned a blind eye and willingly supported Israel with the war crimes it has c omitted for decades.
The IDF’s reputation as a highly trained and efficient military force has always been a cornerstone of Israel’s public relations strategy. However, the past two decades have revealed a different story.
From its failure to decisively to defeat Hezbollah in the 2006 Lebanon War to its prolonged and inconclusive campaigns against Hamas in Gaza, the IDF has repeatedly struggled to achieve any strategic military victories. The ongoing war with Hamas, which began October last year, has highlighted the IDF’s limitations.
Despite its massive firepower and a well-funded military, that’s all the IDF is, a poorly trained military. Israel has failed to defeat Hamas in Gaza, while its inability to beat Hezbollah, underscores these shortcomings - raising pressing questions like: If the IDF can’t defeat Hamas or Hezbollah, what are its chances against other well-organised armies like the Houthis in Yemen. And how would it fare without the US’s military, diplomatic, and financial support?
Israel’s dependence on the US extends beyond the $3.8bn it receives in financial aid annually. America provides advanced weaponry, intelligence, and diplomatic cover at the UN and other international forums. Since October 7, 2023, the US has sent munitions and interceptor missiles for Israel’s supposed impenetrable Iron Dome.
Without US support, Israel’s military would be incapacitated. The strikes on Yemen highlight Israel’s dependence. Israel’s strike against the Houthis, are part of a broader strategy to weaken Tehran’s allies. Yet, the effectiveness of these strikes remains questionable. Yemen, already devastated by a civil war and humanitarian crisis, offers little in the way of strategic gains for Israel.
Israel’s attack is more symbolic than substantive - a show of force to mask deeper insecurities about its military capabilities, that came with a caveat, “we could only attack if big brother was behind us.”
Israel’s military strategy has always been a “big brother-little brother” dynamic with the US. Israel starts the wars and hides behind the US for support. It did the same in the 2006 Lebanon War when it called for expedited US arms shipments after encountering stiff resistance from Hezbollah. In Gaza, the IDF has relied on US supplied munitions and diplomatic shields to sustain operations and deflect international criticism.
The recent airstrikes on Yemen, is another example of this dynamic. The IDF’s actions in Yemen are unlikely to yield any lasting military advantage. Instead, they risk drawing America further into a conflict that serves Israeli interests more than America’s.
Israel’s threats against the Houthis come amid a broader regional shift. Tehran along with the other members of the axis of resistance, including the Houthis, have demonstrated a capacity for resilience Israel has failed to counter.
The Houthis, have shown sophistication in their use of ballistic missiles and drones, striking targets as far as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. That they can now reach central Israel with missile attacks further underscores the limits of Israel’s deterrence strategy.
The IDF’s inability to neutralise Hamas in Gaza—despite deploying tens of thousands of troops and utilizing extensive air and artillery strikes—casts doubt on its ability to handle multiple fronts simultaneously. Adding the Houthis to the mix stretches Israel’s military resources even thinner, making success even less without US intervention.
The Houthis, like Hezbollah and Hamas, are adept at asymmetric warfare. Their ability to sustain operations despite years of Saudi-led bombardment suggests Israeli airstrikes alone will not achieve decisive results. Moreover, the logistical challenges of maintaining a military campaign in Yemen—hundreds of miles away from Israel—make success unlikely without US support.
If Israel can’t beat Hamas or Hezbollah—how can it hope to succeed in Yemen? It can’t, at least not without American involvement. Israel’s dependence undermines it’s image as a self-reliant military power and exposes the limitations of its strategic ambitions.
The myth of the IDF as an invincible military force is crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. Israel’s reliance on the US for military, financial, and diplomatic support reveals the true extent of its capabilities. The strikes on Yemen are less a demonstration of strength and more an act of desperation, aimed at maintaining the illusion of military dominance.
While Israel continues to antagonise its neighbours and rely on the US to bail it out, it entrenches the perception it’s a regional destabiliser rather than a stabilising force.
Can Israel continue to depend on US support and is its reliance sustainable? Israel’s military strategy is a caveat-based house of cards - vulnerable to collapse at the first sign of resistance.
Once mythologised as an unparalleled force in the Middle East, the IDF have consistently demonstrated their capabilities are entirely dependent on US backing.
Israel’s recent airstrike attacks on Yemen following missile launches by Houthi rebels is another example of Israel’s inability to operate independently against even smaller, less-equipped adversaries without external assistance.
Israel is the bully and thug of Middle East, and it’s become so because Big Brother has always fought its battles for it. And if Israel wasn’t so influential with its grip on the US, it would be the laughingstock of the Middle East. But it’s not, because the US has always turned a blind eye and willingly supported Israel with the war crimes it has c omitted for decades.
The IDF’s reputation as a highly trained and efficient military force has always been a cornerstone of Israel’s public relations strategy. However, the past two decades have revealed a different story.
From its failure to decisively to defeat Hezbollah in the 2006 Lebanon War to its prolonged and inconclusive campaigns against Hamas in Gaza, the IDF has repeatedly struggled to achieve any strategic military victories. The ongoing war with Hamas, which began October last year, has highlighted the IDF’s limitations.
Despite its massive firepower and a well-funded military, that’s all the IDF is, a poorly trained military. Israel has failed to defeat Hamas in Gaza, while its inability to beat Hezbollah, underscores these shortcomings - raising pressing questions like: If the IDF can’t defeat Hamas or Hezbollah, what are its chances against other well-organised armies like the Houthis in Yemen. And how would it fare without the US’s military, diplomatic, and financial support?
Israel’s dependence on the US extends beyond the $3.8bn it receives in financial aid annually. America provides advanced weaponry, intelligence, and diplomatic cover at the UN and other international forums. Since October 7, 2023, the US has sent munitions and interceptor missiles for Israel’s supposed impenetrable Iron Dome.
Without US support, Israel’s military would be incapacitated. The strikes on Yemen highlight Israel’s dependence. Israel’s strike against the Houthis, are part of a broader strategy to weaken Tehran’s allies. Yet, the effectiveness of these strikes remains questionable. Yemen, already devastated by a civil war and humanitarian crisis, offers little in the way of strategic gains for Israel.
Israel’s attack is more symbolic than substantive - a show of force to mask deeper insecurities about its military capabilities, that came with a caveat, “we could only attack if big brother was behind us.”
Israel’s military strategy has always been a “big brother-little brother” dynamic with the US. Israel starts the wars and hides behind the US for support. It did the same in the 2006 Lebanon War when it called for expedited US arms shipments after encountering stiff resistance from Hezbollah. In Gaza, the IDF has relied on US supplied munitions and diplomatic shields to sustain operations and deflect international criticism.
The recent airstrikes on Yemen, is another example of this dynamic. The IDF’s actions in Yemen are unlikely to yield any lasting military advantage. Instead, they risk drawing America further into a conflict that serves Israeli interests more than America’s.
Israel’s threats against the Houthis come amid a broader regional shift. Tehran along with the other members of the axis of resistance, including the Houthis, have demonstrated a capacity for resilience Israel has failed to counter.
The Houthis, have shown sophistication in their use of ballistic missiles and drones, striking targets as far as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. That they can now reach central Israel with missile attacks further underscores the limits of Israel’s deterrence strategy.
The IDF’s inability to neutralise Hamas in Gaza—despite deploying tens of thousands of troops and utilizing extensive air and artillery strikes—casts doubt on its ability to handle multiple fronts simultaneously. Adding the Houthis to the mix stretches Israel’s military resources even thinner, making success even less without US intervention.
The Houthis, like Hezbollah and Hamas, are adept at asymmetric warfare. Their ability to sustain operations despite years of Saudi-led bombardment suggests Israeli airstrikes alone will not achieve decisive results. Moreover, the logistical challenges of maintaining a military campaign in Yemen—hundreds of miles away from Israel—make success unlikely without US support.
If Israel can’t beat Hamas or Hezbollah—how can it hope to succeed in Yemen? It can’t, at least not without American involvement. Israel’s dependence undermines it’s image as a self-reliant military power and exposes the limitations of its strategic ambitions.
The myth of the IDF as an invincible military force is crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. Israel’s reliance on the US for military, financial, and diplomatic support reveals the true extent of its capabilities. The strikes on Yemen are less a demonstration of strength and more an act of desperation, aimed at maintaining the illusion of military dominance.
While Israel continues to antagonise its neighbours and rely on the US to bail it out, it entrenches the perception it’s a regional destabiliser rather than a stabilising force.
Can Israel continue to depend on US support and is its reliance sustainable? Israel’s military strategy is a caveat-based house of cards - vulnerable to collapse at the first sign of resistance.
It's criminal that the USA and other western countries support Israel as it's committing genocide.
So many are shattered at their countries' support for Israel. I wonder what that will morph into.
Since the only training the Israeli Occupation Forces get is attacking unarmed civilians, particularly women, children, the sick, disabled, old and helpless, of course they cannot stand against trained soldiers who are adult males.
This is why they have failed to rout Hamas and Hezbollah and the only reason they have opened a third front in Syria is because rolling their tanks across land and helpless people and dropping bombs is easy, and is just a propaganda theme for the gullible Israeli public.
They are deranged enough to believe they can hold what they have taken in Syria but their army is too pathetic to do that and there is a good chance that the Syrians will take back all of the Golan Heights, including what the Sickraelis have held for decades.
Bombs will never win a war and only boots on the ground can take and hold territory and Israel does not have many boots on the ground and will never have enough boots on the ground.