The Houthi rebels have been causing problems in their part of the world for decades. They have effectively destroyed the nation of Yemen, driving the elected government into exile and fomenting a civil war that has killed countless people. When they decided to heed Iran's call and jump into the attacks on Israel and allied forces, many were rightfully concerned. Fortunately, most of the Houthis' long-range attacks were ineffective to an almost comical degree, though they have gotten in a few lucky shots. That situation may have just changed, however. This week the Houthis unveiled a new type of missile that appears to be potentially quite dangerous. They fired one at Israel on Monday and analysts have concluded that it is likely a far more modern, solid-fuel model. It also may be capable of hypersonic speeds and it looks remarkably similar to some of the best rockets that Iran employs. This is not good news for anyone. (Associated Press)

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have unveiled a new, solid-fuel missile in their arsenal that resembles aspects of one earlier displayed by Iran that Tehran described as flying at hypersonic speeds.

The rebels fired its new “Palestine” missile, complete with a warhead painted like a Palestinian keffiyeh checkered scarf, at the southern Gulf of Aqaba port of Eilat in Israel on Monday. The attack set off air raid sirens but caused no reported damage or injuries.

Footage released by the Houthis late Wednesday showed the Palestine being raised on what appeared to be a mobile launcher and rising quickly into the air with plumes of white smoke coming from its engine. White smoke is common with solid-fuel missiles.

So the Houthis are upping their military game. It's not much of a mystery where that "Palestine missile" came from. The world's largest state sponsor of terror obviously gave it to them, just like the supply the rebels with all of their other military hardware. It's not as if the Houthis could have developed and manufactured it themselves. They can barely grow food. And who else would do business with them? China might have the motivation, but I'm fairly sure they wouldn't want to be caught on the international stage doing business with this crew. Russia could similarly be suspected, but they have their hands full at the moment and they need all of their own missiles to keep up the offensive against Ukraine. I would hope that Turkey wouldn't dare to even think of it while they are still desperately hoping for admission to the EU. It had to be Iran.

The question is, what are we going to do about it? The Houthis' first attack on Israel using this type of missile was off the mark and reportedly didn't cause any noticeable damage. But if they're given time to fine-tune the guidance systems, this could become a serious problem. Hypersonic missiles are much harder to deal with and it's unclear if Israel's Iron Dome would reliably stop them. It's also unlikely in the extreme that the Iranians only gave them one missile. There will almost certainly be more on the way.

Up until now, the Biden administration's response to recent Houthi attacks on shipping lanes and Israel itself has been milquetoast at best. We've taken a few potshots at their launch sites and knocked out a few groups of their fighters, but we haven't done any significant damage apparently. For a while it seemed as if Saudi Arabia might step in and play a role since the Houthis frequently attack them also, but they apparently don't want to get their hands too dirty in these affairs.

I've been suggesting for a while now that the United States needs to step in and take a stronger hand in shutting these rebels down. It's not as if the legitimately elected government of Yemen would mind the help. And beside them, who else would have the right to complain? The Houthis are not a modern military force. They couldn't stand up to a concerted attack by a superpower. I'm not saying we should launch a prolonged land war in Yemen, but we could certainly manage an intense air bombardment campaign and perhaps even some incursion on their shores. The Defense Post recently published an analysis claiming that America "can't beat the Houthis" because air strikes alone won't be enough and we "lack the Navy and Marine forces to engaged in a prolonged offensive." That may currently be true to a certain extent, but I would argue that it's only because we currently lack motivation. If we prioritized this issue, forces could be shifted and redeployed as required. That would also send a message of strength to both our allies and adversaries letting them know that we're not to be trifled with. Of course, I'm not expecting any such show of force from Joe Biden. Perhaps Donald Trump could add this to his already lengthy "to do" list.