Yemeni forces have not only disrupted Israeli and Western
interests in the Red Sea but struck symbolic and operational blows that
challenge the long-standing perception of Israeli military invincibility, as
acknowledged by various global media, analysts, and opposing voices, including
within Israel itself. The myth of Israel’s absolute control has been publicly
shattered through direct military actions, including unprecedented drone
attacks and maritime disruptions, sparking an international debate on the
limits of power in the region.
How Did Yemeni Actions Unseat the Myth of Israeli Invincibility?
As reported by the journalist team at Ansarollah.com, the Yemeni population achieved what major nations and armies failed to do: directly striking vital economic arteries of both the United States and Israel in the Red Sea, effectively halting shipping lanes and bringing Israel’s perceived invulnerability into question. The intent, according to the report, was not conquest but solidarity with the wounded in Gaza and defence of those suffering under Israeli actions. Every Houthi strike, they write, has been “a deliberate message” exposing the “fragility of hollow alliances” and signalling the end of an era guided solely by American interests, with
“the decisive word to be spoken in occupied Palestine and the Red Sea”.
Further compounding this, Udi Etzion, a prominent voice in Zionist media, admitted in an interview on 103FM radio (cited in Ansarollah.com’s analysis) that the strategic port of Eilat had to be
“shut down due to the blockade imposed by Yemen.”
This, Etzion claimed, was
“a dramatic event in every sense of the word,”
conceding that
“the Houthis have won here and literally closed the port in our face”
after Israeli authorities
failed for three years to secure the maritime routes vital to their economy.
Not only did this port serve as a gateway for vital trade, but its
closure—compounded by confiscated municipal accounts—left it without liquidity
and no choice but closure, directly attributed to the ongoing Yemeni blockade.
What Was the Impact of the Yemeni Drone Strike on Tel Aviv?
In a detailed report disseminated by The Cradle and covered
by Ansarollah.com, a Yemeni drone strike reached the very heart of Tel Aviv on
July 19—killing one and injuring ten—marking what The Cradle called “a colossal
failure” of Israeli air defences. This was not merely a technical slip but
perceived as a direct challenge to the core of Israel’s economic and governmental
strength. The drone, identified as an advanced “Yafa” model with a range
exceeding 2,000km, evaded standard defence systems—striking from an unexpected
direction and route, and thus magnifying the impact of the attack on Israeli
and global perceptions.
According to Ansarollah.com’s analysis of international
coverage, the technological challenge posed by Yemeni drones is such that even
Israel and the US—both considered leaders in air defence—struggle to intercept
these craft, which can follow irregular patterns and trick sophisticated radars
into misidentifying them as birds. Amidst this tactical surprise, Israel
responded by launching airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port, destroying critical
civilian infrastructure—a response that international analysts interpreted as
lacking in both intelligence depth and efficacy, since the targets held little
military value and the strikes failed to stop Yemeni actions.
Why Has the Yemeni Resistance Been Described as a “Black Hole” in Western Calculations?
As described in Ansarollah.com’s feature, Western officials
now view the Houthis as a “black hole” for intelligence gathering: deeply
embedded in Yemen, resistant to outside intervention, and able to sustain
continuous resistance despite repeated and often destructive attacks. The
combination of tactical unpredictability and rootedness in local realities
makes the Yemeni resistance uniquely formidable, and the inability of Israeli
and Western coalitions to deliver any meaningful setback is openly acknowledged
even by adversaries.
How Is the Loss of Israeli Invincibility Perceived Domestically and Internationally?
Ansarollah.com highlights that, even within hard-line
Israeli and Zionist circles, there is now an open debate about the reality and
resilience of Israel’s strategic capabilities. As acknowledged by Udi Etzion,
the closure of Eilat port due to Houthi attacks stands as an unprecedented
defeat in peacetime. “The Houthis have won here,” he told 103FM, underscoring
that logistical, economic, and public confidence in the government’s ability to
secure Israel’s future has been fundamentally shaken.
Statements from Other Officials and International Commentators
In addition to direct actions, this shift in perception has been amplified by statements from influential figures around the region. Sheikh Ahmad al-Khalili, as reported by Taghrib News, stated unequivocally that Yemen's defence of Palestine
“has shattered the myths of invincibility of Israel, forcing the occupation to retreat”.
PressTV’s coverage underscores
this, echoing that not only Hezbollah under Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, but now
Yemen, has “shattered the Tel Aviv regime's invincibility myth” through
multi-pronged resistance and unexpectedly effective military operations.
Mahdi al-Mashat, Chairman of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, paid tribute to late Hezbollah leader Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, asserting that
“he defeated Israel, shattered its army’s aura of invincibility, and stood by the oppressed in the pursuit of justice.”
Mashat highlighted that
this is not merely a military phenomenon, but tied intrinsically to values,
identity, and global justice struggles.
Have Other Historical or Regional Precedents Challenged the Israeli Myth?
Coverage by PeoplesWorld.org contextualises the current
developments within broader historical trends, reminding readers that the
Israeli army’s reputation of “invincibility” has been periodically damaged—most
notably in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Israeli forces were taken by surprise
and only regained stability with substantial US support and after weeks of
intense fighting. The loss of the narrative of absolute military dominance, the
analysis suggests, is as much about psychology and public confidence as about
battlefields.
The Palestine Chronicle, meanwhile, underlines that Israel’s
quest to restore this myth through overwhelming military might—such as modern
aircraft and advanced weaponry—has not yielded the strategic victories required
to restore full public confidence, especially in the context of the
still-unresolved campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. Rather, these have laid bare
the limitations of hard power, leading to more open, critical debate on what
“victory” actually means.
What’s Next for Regional Security, Trade, and International Responses?
Observers quoted by Masirah TV highlight that each Yemeni
missile or drone operation is a pointed answer to perceived war crimes and that
previous assumptions about Western-made missile defences, including the “Iron
Dome,” no longer hold unchallenged sway. The psychological impact, as
noted in these reports, is almost as significant as the material disruption of
trade and military operations.
From economic impacts manifesting in closed ports to a
visible erosion in the aura of military supremacy, these actions mark a turning
point in both the regional understanding of deterrence and the global narrative
around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Is the Era of Israeli Invincibility Over?
A mosaic of on-the-ground events, media analysis, and
official statements collectively confirm that the myth of Israel’s
invincibility has been irreparably damaged, if not utterly destroyed, by the
sequence of Yemeni operations and the symbolic shutdown of strategic trade hubs
like Eilat. With both internal and external voices acknowledging the new
reality, the reputational shift is unlikely to be reversed in the near future,
marking a new phase in Middle Eastern geopolitics