Israel hits the Houthis: Is this the opening of a bigger campaign?

December 26, 2024

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes near Sanaa airport, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Dec. 26, 2024.

REUTERS/Khaled AbdullahShareRewrite

Israel on Thursday struck military sites and power infrastructure across parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthi militia.

The move is the latest in an escalating tit-for-tat between Israel and the Iran-backed rebels who control most of Yemen and have launched several missiles and drones at Israel over the past week alone.

The Houthis pledged solidarity with Hamas in the days after the group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and have attacked Israel directly as well as ships in the Red Sea since then.

Earlier this week, Israel threatened to kill the group’s leaders after a Houthi missile landed in a Tel Aviv playground.

Is this just a prelude? Israel in recent months has severely hobbled Iran’s other two main regional proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, killing the leaders of both groups. Is Israel gearing up for a bigger campaign against the last relatively unscathed part of Iran’s “axis of resistance”?

Viewpoint: How strong is Trump’s support 100 days in?

US President Donald Trump returns to the White House from his New Jersey golf club to Washington, DC, on April 27, 2024.

Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

With a cohesive team in the White House, Republican control of Congress, and a disoriented Democratic opposition, Donald Trump has pushed ahead rapidly on many fronts since inauguration. But opinion polls in recent weeks have shown a sharp decline in public support for the president, and the courts, financial markets, and other institutions have started curbing his actions. We asked Eurasia Group experts Clayton Allen and Noah Daponte-Smith where things are likely to go from here.

A “critical” week for Ukraine

Rescuers search for a 17-year-old and his parents near an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on April 24, 2025.

REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that this week is “very critical” for Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine. Russia’s Vladimir Putin made news on Monday by offering a three-day ceasefire beginning on May 8, a move perhaps motivated by skeptical recent comments from Trump on Russia’s willingness to bargain in good faith.

Israel hits the Houthis: Is this the opening of a bigger campaign?

GZEROMEDIA

More from GZERO Media

Syria needs money and men. It just got more of both.

The country's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa faces a tricky tradeoff when it comes to securing the country.

HARD NUMBERS: Trump’s first 100 days in five key figures

43: According to a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Friday, 43% of Americans have a favorable view of Trump — down from 48% before the election.

Political Mini Crossword: Is Syria making a comeback?

Viewpoint: How strong is Trump’s support 100 days in?

The Graphic Truth: Pakistan kills Afghan militants

GZEROMEDIA

Ian Bremmer on Trump's first 100 days

The most revolutionary thing about Trump 2.0? More dysfunction, fewer results. Ian Bremmer⁩ examines President Trump’s first hundred days back in office, why America’s problems are getting bigger, and what comes next.

A “critical” week for Ukraine

Life in Saigon during the Vietnam War

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Mai Elliott recalls how witnessing the human toll of the Vietnam War firsthand changed her views—and forced her to keep a life-altering secret from her own family.

Trade and tariffs: Latest analysis and global impacts

Get insights from RBC Capital Markets’ experts on the evolving global trade dynamics and the potential effects of tariffs on the economy, financial markets, and across industries.

50 years after the Vietnam War

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, two authors—Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen and historian Mai Elliott—with deeply personal ties to the Vietnam War, reflect on its lasting global impact and Vietnam's remarkable rise 50 years later.

Israel hits the Houthis: Is this the opening of a bigger campaign?

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

The country's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa faces a tricky tradeoff when it comes to securing the country.

43: According to a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Friday, 43% of Americans have a favorable view of Trump — down from 48% before the election.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

The most revolutionary thing about Trump 2.0? More dysfunction, fewer results. Ian Bremmer⁩ examines President Trump’s first hundred days back in office, why America’s problems are getting bigger, and what comes next.

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Mai Elliott recalls how witnessing the human toll of the Vietnam War firsthand changed her views—and forced her to keep a life-altering secret from her own family.

Get insights from RBC Capital Markets’ experts on the evolving global trade dynamics and the potential effects of tariffs on the economy, financial markets, and across industries.

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, two authors—Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen and historian Mai Elliott—with deeply personal ties to the Vietnam War, reflect on its lasting global impact and Vietnam's remarkable rise 50 years later.