Ari Heistein, at The Blogs

Ari Heistein

Oct 20, 2024, 3:40 PM

After a year of Houthi attacks, Israel needs an ambitious approach

A view of the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker 'Marlin Luanda,' on fire after being hit by a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, in the Gulf of Aden, on January 27, 2024. (Indian Navy via AP)

Deterrence is not enough; Jerusalem must determine the regime’s weak points and exploit them in systematic ways over time to bring it down

Jul 3, 2024, 5:43 PM

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The Houthis are everybody else’s problem

The anemic international response to the Houthi attacks have taught the Iranian proxy to keep escalating as long as so little harm comes to themselves

Jan 5, 2024, 6:23 PM

Houthi Attacks – the Opening Shot for Something Else?

In many ways, the Houthi threat is not unique. The Houthis, or Ansar Allah, are an Arab group of Shiite Muslims who have been trained, armed, and indoctrinated by Iran. Similar groups can be found in Lebanon, Syria, and...

Dec 17, 2023, 4:00 PM

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Deterring the Houthis requires more than a textbook response

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen publish a video showing how the group hijacked an Israeli-linked shipping vessel in the Red Sea on November 20, 2023. (Screen capture/X)

The Houthis want to be players on the world stage, so threats to their global good name may push them to reduce the threat they've become

Oct 23, 2023, 3:39 PM

Clarity in crisis: What Israel now knows

Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, October 8, 2023. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)

October 7 calls for a reset of ties, whether bilaterally with the US, internally, regionally or between Israel and the diaspora

Nov 24, 2020, 4:13 PM

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Israel and a values-driven President Biden

In this November 10, 2020 photo, US President-elect Joe Biden smiles as he speaks at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

'Might makes right' won't go over too well with an administration aiming to focus on promoting democracy and human rights

Apr 3, 2015, 4:47 AM

Breaking Babylon: Why ISIS Destroys Antiquities in Iraq

ISIS has embarked on a campaign to destroy Iraqi antiquities. They have looted and bulldozed numerous historical sites including Hatra, Nimrud, Khorsabad, and the Mosul Museum. The motivation for looting is clear—it has yielded tens of millions of dollars...

Mar 18, 2015, 4:25 AM

Assad’s Targeted Killings: Why He Doesn’t Need Chemical Weapons

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal campaign to suppress the Sunni opposition employs a tactic that improves upon his other weapons’ lethality —targeting those who treat the sick and injured. While his campaign against healthcare infrastructure in opposition-held territory has...

Mar 3, 2015, 11:15 PM

Sectarianism in Syria: How Assad Played Us

In an effort to solidify his base of support in the face of the Arab Spring, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad turned to sectarian politics. This policy created a dynamic in which U.S. actions in the region increasingly supported his regime....

Feb 25, 2015, 10:26 PM

Palestinian loss of land 1946-2000 unexplained

The image above is a depiction of Israeli expansionism that has been featured in several articles by University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, a former Reagan administration official, included it in an article in Foreign Policy Journal, and it has...

About Me

Ari Heistein was chief of staff and a research fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). He works in defense technology and has published extensive research on Yemen.

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