Yemen’s government needs weapons, but they can’t come from the US or Israel, expert tells 'Post'

An expert from the Royal United Services Institute tells The Jerusalem Post that defeating the Houthis requires empowering Yemen's legitimate government forces, not airstrikes. However, direct arms supplies from the US or Israel would backfire, allowing the Houthis to frame the conflict as foreign aggression. The expert warns that without arms, local forces cannot break the Houthi siege of Taiz, which is using deprivation as a weapon.

An expert from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) told The Jerusalem Post that the most effective way to defeat the Houthis and reverse their territorial gains is to empower Yemen's legitimate government forces, not through airstrikes. However, the expert, speaking anonymously to protect his connections in Yemen, stressed that direct arms supplies from the United States or Israel would backfire. Such involvement would allow the Houthis to frame the conflict as foreign aggression, strengthening their domestic support. Instead, the international role should be limited to disrupting Iranian weapons shipments to the Houthis. The expert warned that without arms, local authorities can do little to break the Houthi siege of Taiz, a city of strategic importance. The Houthis are using the same strategy of systematic deprivation they employed a decade ago, blocking fuel, water, medicine, and commercial goods. The siege began intensifying in early October 2026. The expert noted that the Houthis exploit the narrative of defending Gaza to bolster their legitimacy, and any perceived association between Yemen's government and Israel would undermine the government's position. The article frames the conflict as a local struggle between a legitimate but ill-equipped government and an armed group over domestic grievances, not merely a proxy war.