By using a ballistic missile armed with a cluster bomb warhead, Yemen’s Houthi rebels appear to have crossed a significant red line for Israel, prompting a wrathful and destructive military response. The powerful airstrikes on Sanaa were a direct consequence of this escalatory move.
Cluster munitions are widely condemned for their indiscriminate nature, and their use against Israel was viewed as a grave provocation. The Israeli military investigation confirming the warhead’s type served as the green light for a massive retaliatory operation.
The Israeli wrath was felt across Sanaa, as jets bombed a military compound, a fuel depot, and power stations. The intensity of the raid, which killed six and wounded 86, was designed to communicate that the use of certain weapons will trigger a response of a different magnitude.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning of a “very heavy price” underscores this red-line policy. The Houthis’ decision to escalate their weaponry has now been met with a devastating escalation in Israeli force.
