An Israeli military strike eliminated most of the top leadership of the Houthi rebels in Yemen last week. It’s the latest in a recent spate of successful Israeli decapitation strikes against Iranian proxies. Unfortunately, the Houthis will remain a threat for the foreseeable future.

The latest strike targeted Houthi leaders attending a meeting in the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa. More than 20 of the terrorist group’s top members had gathered to watch a speech by the movement’s leader, Abdul Malik al Houthi. Houthi Prime Minister, Ahmed al Rahawi, was killed. Eleven other high-ranking apparatchiks were also taken out — practically the entirety of Rahawi’s Cabinet.

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This strike again showcases the stunning capabilities and reach of Israeli intelligence. In July, the upper echelons of Israel’s security establishment focused on targeting Houthi leadership. The decision was made after an increase in missile and drone attacks on Israel by the Yemen-based group. On Aug. 22, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile that was reportedly armed with cluster munitions — the first use of a cluster bomb by the group in two years. 

Using that weapon was a mistake. Once the exact location for this meeting was confirmed, Israeli fighter jets flew over a residential neighborhood in southern Sanaa to carry out the strike. According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, representatives from the U.S. Central Command also participated. 

The Houthis’ motto is “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews,” and the group has proved to be a thorn in the side of America and its allies, both in the Middle East and Europe, by attacking vessels in the Red Sea and endangering important shipping lanes. Tellingly, the Houthis have largely refrained from attacking Russian and Chinese ships. Moscow and Beijing are allies with Iran, the Houthis’ chief benefactor.

The Houthis have now promised to retaliate. Thousands attended the funerals of the slain leaders. The Houthis’ “acting prime minister,” Mohamed Muftah, called for revenge against “the U.S. administration, the Zionist entity, Zionist Arabs, and spies inside Yemen.” And on Tuesday, the group launched two missiles and a drone toward Israel (neither reached their targets).

Still, the Houthis have proven a far more intractable threat than initially thought. Indeed, they’ve been underestimated, even enabled, by some in the West. For example, in 2018, the Washington Post published an op-ed by the Houthis. And in early 2021, in a bid to reach out to Iran, the Biden administration removed the foreign terrorist organization designation that had been placed on the group. In one of its first acts, the second Trump administration put the Houthis back on the list of designated terrorist groups.

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Yet, the chaos and instability in Yemen continue to give the Houthis freedom to operate. The Houthis have shown themselves capable of exploiting the power vacuum and upheaval that have existed in Yemen for years. And the group’s structure is surprisingly malleable.

As important: The Houthis have provided a great “return on investment” for their Iranian backers. With other Tehran-backed terrorist groups on the defensive in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, the Houthis are still an attractive option for Iran’s perpetual agenda of aggression.

The writer is a Senior Research Analyst for CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.