Ex-Cmdr. of “Israeli” Aerial “Defense”: Ending Gaza War Means Ending War with Yemen
By Al-Ahed News
Reserve Brigadier General Zvika Haimovich, former commander of “Israel’s” Air Defense Formation, stated that Tel Aviv has a vested interest in addressing the Yemeni threat. He added, “While we are waging a multi-front war at the expense of the Americans and as part of an international coalition, there is a fine line between containment, restraint and retaliation.”
In a post by “Walla”, Haimovich pointed to the recent missile intercept failure at Ben Gurion Airport as evidence of the operational limitations “Israel” is currently facing. He told us: “Just like in the US, ‘Israel’ realizes that an almost-state militia like Ansar Allah cannot be defeated by airstrikes—not in a month and a half of bombing, nor through the ten attacks ‘Israel’ has conducted over 19 months. Military victories cannot be won with airpower alone, especially against forces fighting from such great distances.”
According to Haimovich, “Israel” must begin to acclimate to a pattern of missile fire originating from Yemen and accept it as a new norm, so long as the war in Gaza persists.
He continued, “A further element has been introduced into the equation. ‘Israel’ responded to the attack on Ben Gurion Airport by targeting Sanaa International Airport. Recently, it also threatened to evacuate three seaports before striking all of them, in an effort to tighten the sea blockade. The Yemenis responded in kind, with their spokesman recently threatening to target ‘Israeli’ ports.”
Haimovich added that although the air blockade around “Israel” is not yet complete, several airlines have canceled flights over the past two weeks—causing significant economic losses. Threats and missile fire have deterred them from returning, and the psychological impact continues to deepen in this ongoing confrontation.
According to him, the path to resolving many of these issues lies in ending the war in Gaza and releasing the hostages. Doing so would prompt an immediate ceasefire from Yemen [though it would not eliminate the threat altogether], enhance normalization efforts with Saudi Arabia—an affair of major strategic importance—and allow attention to shift toward the Iranian nuclear file. It could also lay the groundwork for a new security arrangement on “Israel’s” northern borders with Lebanon and Syria.
He concluded:
“Until then, millions of ‘Israelis’ will have to run to shelters every few days, hoping that the air defense system intercepts the threats. We’ll keep hearing about another airstrike hitting the same Yemeni ports, and so on. The Yemenis can sustain this disruptive strategy for a long time. They have the production capacity, supply chains, ideological drive, and local interests to keep it going. This is what an endless war looks like.”
