Jerusalem Post: Saudi Arabia’s Trillion-Dollar Mistake Empowered Iran and the Houthis

Israel’s Jerusalem Post sharply criticized Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen, calling it a "strategic catastrophe" that empowered Iran and created a direct threat to Israeli and U.S. security.

In a detailed analysis titled "The Houthi Threat: A $1 Trillion Saudi Mistake", the newspaper said the nine-year war, once marketed as a counterterrorism effort, has instead turned Yemen into a breeding ground for Iranian influence.

The report blames Riyadh’s miscalculation for transforming the Houthis into a heavily armed Iranian proxy capable of disrupting global shipping and launching attacks on Israel. The blockade and airstrikes – often with U.S.-made warplanes – caused mass civilian casualties while inadvertently fueling Houthi recruitment and control.

The Houthis now regularly launch missiles and drones at Israel, paralyzing Eilat port and forcing costly re-routing of maritime traffic, the paper notes.

While acknowledging U.S. countermeasures such as re-designating the Houthis as a terrorist group, the analysis insists that the root of the crisis lies in Saudi Arabia’s flawed strategy and the blind support it received.

“Immediate military responses to Houthi aggression are necessary,” the paper concludes, “but a deeper strategic shift is required to address the original Saudi misstep that led to the current threat.”

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