Houthis in the Footsteps of Hizbullah

Over the course of several decades, Hizbullah has emerged as not only the foremost political and military force in Lebanon, but also a symbol of Iran’s regional ascendance. While multifaceted, Hizbullah’s threat to Israel is primarily military and geopolitical. Geopolitically, Israel perceives Hizbullah’s centrality in the Iran-led axis of resistance as having increased strategic and operational synchronisation among Israel’s enemies. In asymmetrical conflicts, the foremost challenge facing the weaker actor is a deficit in military power so large that an all-out conflict would endanger its very existence. ‘Deterrent equations’ are measures taken by the inferior actor to establish effective symmetry and thus impose restraints on the stronger actor. In 2006, Hizbullah’s continuous rocket attacks paralysed northern Israel, prolonged the war, and exposed gaps in Israel’s military strategy, drawing it into a costly ground invasion that catered to Hizbullah’s strengths and finished the careers of some Israeli political and military leaders.