On May 5, 2025, Professor Liu Zhongmin of the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai Foreign Studies University gave an interview to Global Times on the Houthi attack on Israel, which is below:
Iran rejects accusations of involvement in Houthi attacks after Israel vows to retaliate: report
Iran on Monday rejected accusations by US and Israeli officials of its involvement in attacks on Israel by the Houthis in Yemen, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to retaliate against Houthi forces in Yemen and their ally, Iran, after a missile launched by the group struck Israel's international airport.
Earlier in the day, the group claimed responsibility for a missile attack that hit a driveway leading to the main terminal of Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's main international airport in Tel Aviv, according to Xinhua News Agency on Monday.
Following the airport attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to retaliate against Houthi forces in Yemen and their ally, Iran, said Xinhua.
In a statement released early Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the repetition of such baseless claims as an affront to the powerful but oppressed Yemeni nation, according to Xinhua.
The statement highlighted Iran's position on the necessity to respect countries' territorial integrity and national sovereignty, and condemned the US military attacks on Yemen as a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law, per Xinhua.
The statement was released after the Houthi group announced a comprehensive air blockade on Israel in response to its decision to expand its aggression against Gaza.
The Israeli military said initial findings indicated the likely reason why the missile was not stopped was a technical issue with the interceptor, the Associated Press reported.
Israel may believe that Tehran's support to the Houthis has substantially enhanced their capacity to strike, thereby perceiving stronger threat to its security. Liu Zhongmin, a professor from the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday, adding that it is one of the motivators for Israel's vows to retaliate against both the Houthis and Iran.
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, responded to the attack by saying: Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger, the BBC reported on Sunday.
From a strategic deterrence perspective, Israel's latest threat of revenge reflected its effort to demonstrate superiority over the Iran-aligned resistance factions, according to Liu.
He noted that as Hamas and Hezbollah have suffered varying degrees of blows, the Houthi armed group has become the main force confronting Israel on the front lines.
Israel's retaliation against the Houthis and Iran remains ambiguous in terms of targets and intensity, contingent on multiple variables, he said, adding that whether the conflict spirals into uncontrollable escalation hinges critically on whether either side crosses perceived red lines.
Source: Global Times
(The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author or the interviewee, and do not represent the position of this research institution)
