Capitals - (Saba):
Military analysts agreed that the missile launched by the Yemeni Armed Forces on Sunday toward Ben Gurion Airport represents an exceptional event with profound strategic and military dimensions.
It opens the door to a series of future Yemeni strikes that could hit more sensitive institutions, given the collapse of Israeli deterrence.
They also believe that, after this strike, Yemen has transitioned from a marginal and impoverished state to one capable of strategic influence.
The Conflict Equation
Military expert Lieutenant General Qased Mahmoud said that the Yemeni targeting of Ben Gurion Airport reflects a qualitative shift in the nature of the ongoing confrontation in the region.
In a statement to Shehab News Agency, Lieutenant General Mahmoud confirmed that by launching the missile, the Yemeni Armed Forces "once again demonstrate Yemen's effective presence in the conflict equation and its ability to execute its threats with high precision, despite long distances."
He pointed out that the recent strike confirms the failure of both Israeli and American air defense systems, despite the Zionist entity's reliance on five advanced layers of interception systems.
According to Mahmoud, the missile's landing at one of the most sensitive targets, Ben Gurion Airport, carries a dual significance: the first is operational, confirming the penetration of air defenses, and the second is moral, directly impacting Israel's international image and the confidence of investors and airlines, which have begun suspending flights to the airport.
He pointed out that these attacks send direct messages to Washington and Tel Aviv that the military solution is no longer viable, and that continuing the aggression against Gaza will have repercussions beyond the borders of Palestine.
He also emphasized that recurrence of such strikes could lead to greater regional escalation and potentially force the United States to face difficult choices, especially in light of its current negotiations with Iran.
Mahmoud concludes by emphasizing that the strike represents real pressure on Israeli decision-makers and threatens Israel's internal and economic security. It also sends a political message to the region and the world that the balance of deterrence has truly begun to shift.
Israel's Injury
Israeli affairs expert Ahmed Shadid said that the missile's fall, despite warnings from the Israeli army and the American "Intuition 3" and "Patriot" systems, demonstrates the missile's evasion of interception and is not merely a technical failure. He pointed out that hitting the airport, one of the most fortified sites, demonstrates a qualitative development in Yemeni missile capabilities.
He explained in a phone call to Cairo News Channel that Israel detected the missile as soon as it was launched from Yemen, 10 minutes before its arrival, but was unable to intercept it until 3-4 minutes before its target, proving "the existence of gaps in Israeli air defenses."
Shadid revealed that hitting the airport was not the only damage. The missile also targeted a nearby power station, which would have caused the collapse of the infrastructure had it hit. He added, "Ben Gurion Airport is not ordinary. It is a symbol of Israeli sovereignty and military manufacturing. The strike here is more moral than material."
The expert considered that reaching deep into Israel proves that Yemen, through Ansar Allah, has become "capable of causing strategic pain to Israel," comparing it to the threat of the nuclear reactor in Dimona. He noted that this could force Netanyahu to reconsider his calculations, especially after the issuance of conscription orders for an additional 60,000 soldiers.
A Qualitative Strike
Writer and political analyst Suleiman Basharat said, "The Yemeni strike against the occupation is qualitative and could bring about a change in the Israeli perspective, not only regarding the war on the Gaza Strip, but also in the form and nature of the situation in the coming period."
In an interview with Quds Press, Basharat believed that "this Yemeni action will open the door to debate within the occupied territories about the feasibility of the war, especially if the Yemeni armed forces continue targeting Israeli territory. Consequently, voices within Israeli society may begin to demand a reconsideration of the Israeli perspective on the war."
He added, "After this operation, the occupation is back to square one in terms of the concept of challenge imposed on October 7. In recent months, Benjamin Netanyahu's government and military officials have made statements indicating that they have succeeded in dismantling the axis of resistance and the unity of the arenas, and that the Israeli home front is now immune to direct targeting."
Basharat pointed out that "one indication of the strength of the strike is the scale and nature of the Israeli threats issued by the political and military levels since this afternoon. These threats have been characterized by a very high ceiling, in terms of demanding an unconventional response and expanding the scope of the response to include Iranian and Yemeni territory."
A Strategic Breach
For his part, writer and political analyst Khaled Maali emphasized that "the Yemeni strike on Lod Airport represents a significant advantage for Yemen and carries several implications, the first of which is the inability of America and the occupation to achieve deterrence. It also indicates that Yemen has transitioned from a marginal and poor state to a state capable of strategic influence, particularly in the field of maritime navigation and the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict in general."
Maali added that "for the occupying entity, this operation represents a major strategic breach and confirms that Israel has not achieved the goals Netanyahu has repeatedly spoken of."
He continued: "The failure to achieve deterrence is a blow to navigation within the occupying entity, as well as to the economy, which is closely linked to air navigation."
Maali emphasized that "this operation is likely to strengthen the position of the opposition within the occupying entity, which could constitute support for it against the Netanyahu government, given the significant negative impact the strike will have on the standing of the government and the army in the eyes of the public."
He also noted that "these operations contribute to raising Palestinian morale, which was clearly reflected in the reactions and jubilation that pervaded the Palestinian street, especially since the strike came amid the ongoing Israeli occupation aggression against the Gaza Strip." His Excellency concluded by saying, "The strike was painful, qualitative, and impactful against the occupation, as evidenced by the statements issued by Israeli leaders since this morning, which included strongly worded threats against Yemen."
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