January 11, 2025
By Nasser Kandil
• Yesterday marked a significant escalation in the joint U.S., British, and Israeli airstrikes on Yemen, with more than 30 raids targeting multiple provinces, civilian facilities, and critical economic infrastructure. For the first time, a coordinated military operation involving the three powers was announced, accompanied by warnings of further escalation.
• This tripartite aggression followed notable Yemeni successes in striking vital installations within the occupying entity, undermining the so-called invincibility of its army. The sight of millions of settlers scrambling for shelters whenever alarms blare – triggered by Yemeni missiles or drones – has shattered this illusion.
• The Americans and Israelis have become acutely aware of the shifting narrative of victory across the region – in light of the Gaza and Lebanon wars and the changes in Syria. In Gaza, the resistance grows stronger both on the battlefield and in negotiations, asserting itself from a position of strength despite President-elect Donald Trump’s threats of “hellfire”. In Lebanon, the presidential elections, which Washington intended to expose the resistance’s weakness, instead highlighted its pivotal role as the decisive force no political process can bypass. Meanwhile, the fall of the Syrian government, once a symbol of triumph for its adversaries, has faded as a rallying cry due to the unraveling of the coalition that facilitated it. Israeli actions now challenge claims of dominance by factions once celebrated for defeating multiple armies, as they fail even to issue statements condemning Israel’s escalating aggression. Simultaneously, conflicts among Turks, Kurds, and French forces illustrate fractures within this alliance.
The Yemeni front, however, remains the starkest challenge to both American and Israeli deterrence. Eilat stands as a testament to these vulnerabilities, highlighting Yemen as both a formidable battleground and a final theater of confrontation in the absence of a direct clash with Iran, whose potential fallout is deemed uncontrollable.
• Escalation begets escalation, and Yemen’s hand is far from empty. Heightened pressure provokes an increasingly determined Yemeni response, potentially unleashing measures held in reserve for a point of no return – a threshold that U.S.-Israeli actions appear eager to accelerate. Among Yemen’s options are targeting American bases in the Gulf, disrupting oil trade routes, or even sealing off the Bab al-Mandeb Strait entirely.
