A New Phase of Israeli-Houthi Escalation

The cycle of retaliatory attacks between Israel and the Houthis has entered a more dangerous phase, with both sides employing new tactics and weaponry.

On 24 August, Israel launched a large-scale air campaign against the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, codenamed Operation Neve Tzedek (Oasis of Justice), killing ten people and injuring 92, including seven children and three women. The following day, 25 August, Israel targeted Houthi leaders meeting at a residential villa, including the group’s prime minister, who reportedly died in the strike. According to the Israeli military, the operation was a response to repeated Houthi attacks on Israel over the previous days. The Houthis invoke the Gaza war and solidarity with the Palestinians as a rationale for firing missiles and drones at Israel.

The Israeli operation came on the heels of a Houthi strike on 23 August with a Palestine-2 ballistic missile that the group claimed was aimed at Ben Gurion Airport, which prompted air raid sirens across central Israel and in Jerusalem, sending millions into shelters. Israel intercepted the missile mid-air, leading to debris falling in the backyard of a home close to the airport, causing no casualties, but emergency services reported injuries as civilians rushed to shelters. A preliminary Israeli air force investigation claimed that the missile was carrying a warhead containing cluster munitions, with an air force official describing the use of such weapons a “new threat”. Israeli officials linked the use of cluster munitions to Iranian technology transfer, saying Iran had fired a similar weapon during the twelve-day war in June. A Houthi source said the group had tested loading between eighteen and 25 bomblets into hypersonic ballistic missiles, but he did not acknowledge that it had done so for this launch. 

During the two-day operation, Israeli fighter jets bombed a series of targets in Sanaa, especially in its southern districts. Targets included both civilian and military sites: the presidential palace in al-Sabeen, the Heziaz and Asr power stations, the Yemen Petroleum Company’s main depot and liquefied gas storage facility, the Faj Attan missile brigade base and the Sanaa municipality building. The strikes destroyed parts of the oil depot and damaged power station production units, causing widespread outages. In response, the Houthis vowed to continue their attacks on Israel.

The Houthis’ use of cluster munitions marks a strengthening of their offensive capabilities, with the potential to inflict more widespread casualties and damage. From Israel’s side, the widening of the target set to include energy and urban infrastructure suggests a strategy aimed at raising costs to civilians in Houthi-controlled areas, possibly to foment discontent. Israel had already brought naval vessels to the fight: on 16 August, Israeli warships in the Red Sea struck the Heziaz power station, signalling a willingness to escalate. 

The intensifying conflict could also undermine the fragile truce between Israel and Iran. By attributing the Houthis’ new capabilities to Iranian technology transfer, Israeli officials cast their strikes in Yemen not only as retaliation against the Houthis but also as a pointed warning to Tehran.