Weekly Commentary: Why Did the Houthis Still Have Fighter Jets for Israel to
Destroy This Week?

Dr. Aaron Lerner 27 December 2024

Over the past year, instead of systematically identifying and destroying the
assets necessary to cripple the Houthis and bring them to their knees,
American and allied forces have spent most of their resources engaged in a
bizarre game of attempting to intercept Houthi rockets, drones, and other
projectiles before they could strike civilian vessels.

This week, we witnessed a shocking illustration of the extent to which this
international coalition is operating against the Houthis with both hands
tied behind their backs - when Israel destroyed three Houthi fighter jets.

That's right.

More than a year into this conflict, the terrorists still had fighter jets!

To be clear, this is not the time for an escalating series of tit-for-tat
exchanges in an attempt to deter the Houthis.

Deterrence is not the solution.

What is needed is a swift and massive operation to erase the Houthi regime.

Israel can certainly participate, but the scale of such an operation far
exceeds what our airborne platforms can deliver during the roughly
4,000-kilometer round trips.

The American-led coalition does possess the firepower for such an operation.

This is a matter of both willpower and the readiness to stop fighting with
unnecessary restrictions.

The advantage of completing such an operation successfully is that once it
is done, the bulk of the forces can be redeployed to the Far East, where
they are urgently needed to confront other challenges.

This shift requires a critical change in thinking.

The free world can no longer afford to face critical threats with its hands
tied behind its back.

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