A new agreement between the United States and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has escalated concerns in Jerusalem and among regional allies, as US policy pivots are seen to prioritize engagement with Iranian proxies over Israel’s core security interests. According to Middle Eastern diplomatic sources, veteran American envoy Dennis Ross has warned that the US-Houthi arrangement leaves Israel increasingly marginalized, raising alarms about the implications for the Jewish state’s security amid an emboldened ‘Axis of Resistance’ led by Iran.
The development comes at a volatile time for the region. Since the October 7, 2023 massacre—the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust perpetrated by Hamas terrorists—Israel has found itself targeted on multiple fronts from Iranian-backed forces. The sustained attacks from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shi’ite militias in Syria and Iraq, and a surge in missile and drone threats from the Houthi rebels in Yemen, all highlight a strategically coordinated effort by Tehran to destabilize the region and weaken Israel’s determination as the Middle East’s only liberal democracy.
Diplomatic and Military Context
The US decision to engage diplomatically with the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, signals a broader reassessment by Washington of its role in the Middle East. Following years of intensive naval and intelligence operations designed to protect vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea, the US is now seeking de-escalation through negotiations, rather than force, to curb Houthi missile and drone attacks. American officials reportedly hope to secure stability for commercial shipping and humanitarian access for Yemen, but Israeli and several Arab capitals warn that such accommodation risks legitimizing the Houthi movement and emboldening Iran’s hardline axis.
The Houthis, having seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2015 with direct Iranian support, have developed substantial arsenals, including missiles capable of threatening vital international commercial routes. In recent months, shipping linked to Israel and Western allies has faced a barrage of attacks in the Red Sea by the Yemeni proxy. US responses have focused on collaborative naval patrols, yet engagement at the negotiating table is now seen as a departure from past policies of isolating Iran’s regional allies.
Ross and other regional experts caution that Washington’s evolving approach may upend the long-standing strategic alignment with Israel. Israeli officials argue this could weaken the deterrence against Iranian proxies and incentivize further violence. Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir have publicly noted a pattern: concessions to militias tied to Tehran are perceived as weakness, not as steps toward peace.
Implications for Israel and Regional Security
For Israel, Iran’s coordination and funding of its proxy network remains the primary military and diplomatic challenge. The Jewish state’s multi-layered missile defense systems, such as Iron Dome and Arrow, are stretched by the simultaneous threats posed by Hamas from Gaza, Hezbollah’s vast arsenal in Lebanon, and Houthi missiles in the south. Iran’s continued supply of increasingly sophisticated weaponry to all these actors means Israel must remain on high alert across borders and at sea.
The decision by the Biden administration—and its predecessor under President Donald Trump—to calibrate engagement with Iran’s allies, even those responsible for direct attacks on civilian shipping and allies, is felt acutely in Israel. The emerging perception among Israeli decision-makers is that US policy is shifting from strategic partnership to regional risk-management, leaving Israel to bear an increasing share of the defense burden while risking erosion of its diplomatic leverage and deterrence.
The Abraham Accords, widely considered a historic diplomatic breakthrough, are also at risk. Arab partners such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain privately express concern that normalization with Israel may no longer guarantee a unified Western response to Iranian threats in the region. The risk is that US dialogue with proxies like the Houthis could send the signal that anti-Israel hostility, if sufficiently disruptive, results in legitimacy and influence.
Israeli Position and the Principle of Deterrence
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have consistently maintained that no concessions or international legitimacy should ever be accorded to organizations or states that use terror and violence as tools of regional influence. The lesson of October 7 and subsequent attacks is clear in Israeli policy circles: compromise without the precondition of demilitarization and renunciation of terror only encourages further escalation, undermining prospects for peace and imposing direct risks on Israeli civilians.
Humanitarian and Diplomatic Dimensions
While the US frames its approach as a means to relieve suffering in Yemen, critics—both in Israel and among Arab allies—warn of precedent and the risk of emboldening actors that openly call for Israel’s annihilation. The Houthis, like Hamas and Hezbollah, have celebrated violence against Israel and the West, using Iranian funding to expand their regional reach. Allowing these proxies a seat at the negotiating table could, over time, institutionalize a terror infrastructure with far-reaching consequences for the broader Middle East.
Strategic Realignment and Future Scenarios
Looking ahead, Israel is likely to deepen security and intelligence cooperation with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, focusing on containing Iranian power and preventing the institutionalization of its proxies. The strategy emphasizes robust deterrence, multi-layered defense, and regional alliances rather than reliance on shifting US or European policy.
Israeli officials will continue to urge Western allies that peace and regional order cannot be achieved while any entity using terrorism remains empowered or gains international standing. Reviving, maintaining, and expanding the Abraham Accords, and pushing back decisively against the normalization of Iran’s network, will remain a top priority for Jerusalem.
Analysis: The Stakes for Israel and the West
The agreement between Washington and the Houthis, seen through the lens of Dennis Ross’s and Israel’s warnings, represents more than a tactical adjustment in policy. It is interpreted as a signal of changing priorities: global energy security, disengagement from military quagmires, and pursuit of regional calm may now take precedence over the traditional Western-Israeli security paradigm. For Israel, surrounded by radical proxies and recently scarred by the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust, this shift imposes new dangers and strategic uncertainty.
Israel’s position remains unequivocal: dialogue should not occur at the expense of security, moral clarity, or the principle of zero tolerance for terror. Any movement away from these tenets risks not only Israel’s safety but also regional stability and the security of Western interests worldwide.
