As the war in the Middle East unfolds, one front receives remarkably little scrutiny: in the past month alone, the Houthi regime in Yemen has launched 27 missiles at Israel (at an estimated cost of $1 million per missile) while the Yemeni people endure starvation, economic collapse, and disease. This is not a separate conflict. It is part of the same regional war fuelled by Iran’s proxies, and it must be condemned with the same urgency as any other front. That the world remains silent speaks volumes.
The figures are staggering. That’s $27 million spent on futile, symbolic attacks against Israel (missiles almost all intercepted by Israeli or allied defences) while inside Yemen, over 21 million people (two-thirds of the population) need humanitarian assistance. Nearly 2 million children under five suffer from acute malnutrition. Hospitals are barely functioning. Food, fuel, and medicine are scarce. The economy is in ruins.
And still, no international outrage. No coordinated humanitarian pressure. No calls for accountability.
Since October 2023, the Iran-backed Houthi militia has used the Israel–Hamas war as cover for escalating attacks — against Israel, against global shipping, and ultimately, against the stability of the region. They claim solidarity with the Palestinian cause, but their actions speak to a different agenda: not helping Palestinians, but advancing Iranian influence and scoring propaganda points by attacking the region’s only liberal democracy.
These attacks have caused minimal damage in Israel, thanks to cutting-edge missile defence systems and regional coordination. But for the Houthis, this is not about military success — it’s about image. They are positioning themselves as a key player in the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” alongside Hezbollah, Hamas, and their patron in Tehran.
The cost of this posturing is borne not by Israel, but by the Yemeni people.
In a country where children are dying from hunger and cholera, the Houthi leadership is diverting tens of millions of dollars into rocket production and military theatrics. Their message is clear: international posturing matters more than the survival of their own people.
So where is the outrage? Why are the same voices who protest arms sales to Western allies silent when Iran’s proxy militias squander resources that could save lives? Why do so many human rights advocates fall silent when abuses are committed by groups that oppose Israel?
The world’s silence reflects not just media fatigue — but a moral inconsistency. Western involvement in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen was rightly scrutinized. But the Houthis — despite a long record of recruiting child soldiers, torturing dissidents, and now launching multimillion-dollar missile barrages at Israel — receive far less condemnation. In some circles, their actions are even applauded, simply because their target is the Jewish state.
This double standard is not just unfair — it is dangerous. It distorts the international conversation and undermines the very principles that human rights advocates claim to defend.
Meanwhile, Israel (despite enduring repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks) has shown extraordinary restraint. It has chosen to defend its people without retaliating directly against Yemen, instead relying on international partnerships to neutralize threats. Imagine if the roles were reversed. Would any other country be expected to absorb dozens of missile attacks without an overwhelming military response?
It is time to call this what it is: a moral failure. The Houthis’ missile campaign is not an act of solidarity. It is not resistance. It is a reckless, ideological assault that serves neither Yemenis nor Palestinians. It is an abuse of power by a regime that has long prioritized its own survival and propaganda over the welfare of its people.
The world should be outraged. The silence isn’t just damning — it’s enabling.
