The Houthis Freaked: Israel Attacks with F-35I Adir Stealth Fighter

Summary and Key Points: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an aerial strike on Houthi-controlled targets near Hodeidah, Yemen, in response to recent drone attacks on Israel that resulted in casualties.

-Utilizing at least a dozen aircraft, including the advanced F-35I Adir, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) executed a mission reminiscent of the 1985 "Operation Wooden Leg."

-This marked a significant demonstration of the F-35I’s long-range strike capabilities. Israel, the sole operator of the F-35 in the Middle East, has enhanced its fleet with unique electronic warfare systems and other upgrades, solidifying the F-35I Adir’s role in its defense strategy.

F-35I Adir Leads IDF Strike on Iran-Backed Houthi Rebels in Yemen

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it carried out strikes on targets controlled by the Iran-back Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saturday, hitting positions close to the port city of Hodeidah. It came following a months-long series of Houthi attacks on Israel, including a drone assault on Friday that killed one Israeli citizen and injured 10 others.

The militant group may not have anticipated that there would be such a response as Israel has not struck back previously, but it was clearly wrong if that was its thinking.

The aerial raid carried out by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been compared to that of "Operation Wooden Leg," the IAF's attack on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) headquarters in Tunis. In that operation – the IAF's longest aerial strike to date – nearly 30 years ago, the IAF employed eight F-15 Eagle fighters assisted by two aerial refueling tankers.

During Saturday's raid on the Houthi rebels, the IAF utilized at least a dozen aircraft, including the F-35I Adir – the Israeli-specific variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation multirole fighter. Videos of the stealth fighters being refueled over the Red Sea have been shared on social media.

"A short time ago, warplanes attacked military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the Hodeida port area in Yemen, in response to the hundreds of attacks against the State of Israel in recent months.

There is no change in the directives of the Home Front Command. If there are changes we will update.

More details to come," the IAF announced in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The first F-35I Adir landed in Israel eight years ago, and the fifth-generation multirole fighter has been employed in numerous combat operations. On May 22, 2018, Israeli Air Force commander, Major General Amikam Norkin, reported that the F-35 was used to strike Iranian missile launch sites in Syria, while in April 2022, an Israeli F-35 was credited with shooting down a pair of Iranian drones for the first time.

The F-35's ability to target the Houthi militants in Yemen further confirms that it is well-suited to long-range strike missions.

The F-35I Adir in the Spotlight

Israel remains the sole operator of the F-35 Lightning II in the Middle East. Currently, 36 of the original 50 ordered by the Jewish state have been delivered, but the total force could grow to as many as 75 within the next decade, as Israel signed a deal last month for an additional 25 of the fifth-generation fighters – to be delivered at a rate of three to five annually beginning in 2028.

Though an "early adopter" of the F-35, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) expressed concerns that the aircraft's stealth capabilities could be partly overcome within a decade despite the 30 to 40-year service life. To address that very serious issue, Israel sought to utilize its own electronic warfare system (EWS). Initially, the U.S. refused to allow such changes over security concerns.

However, it eventually agreed to allow Israel to integrate its own EWS, including sensors and countermeasures, on top of the U.S. systems. Additional changes included a special, IAF-tailored helmet-mounted display, and bespoke datalink functionality that is specific to the IDF, while other enhancements further improved the F-35's already-potent data gathering and processing capabilities.

Those enhancements to the stealth aircraft were also significant enough to warrant an 'I' designation, making the F-35I one of just a handful of formally acknowledged F-35 variants. The Israeli Air Force gave the F-35I the name Adir, meaning "Mighty One" in Hebrew.

It was now used in a mighty strike against the Houthis.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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