Israeli fighter jets carried out a massive air strike on the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday. According to the Israeli army (IDF), several military targets were hit: a complex also housing the presidential palace, two power stations and a fuel depot.

Israel emphasizes that all these installations were being used by the Houthis for military purposes, supplying command centers with electricity, or refuelling drones.

The Houthi authorities report that at least six people were killed and almost 90 injured, including many civilians. Images from Sanaa show burning fuel storage depots and damaged apartment blocks.

This attack is not the first Israeli operation against the Houthis, but it is one of the heaviest attacks since the opening of this new front.

Why is Israel responding now?

On August 22, the Houthis fired a missile at Israel that, according to the IDF, was equipped for the first time with submunitions, i.e. a warhead containing cluster bombs. These weapons are subject to international prohibitions, as they are responsible for a great many civilian casualties.

Israel clearly views the cluster bomb attack as a qualitative escalation. With this retaliatory strike, the Israeli government seems to be signalling that it will no longer simply defend itself against Houthi attacks, but will hit back with even greater force at their place of origin.

Rocket and drone attacks from Yemen have been more frequent in recent months. Hannah Porter, an independent Yemen analyst, believes they have also assumed a new quality.

"The Houthis apparently have a slightly new military capability, which is including submunitions in their missiles that they're launching toward Israel," Porter told DW. "So I think the logic behind that is that they know the vast majority of their missiles will be intercepted over Israeli airspace. If some of the shrapnel, or some of the fragments, actually contain submunitions that will explode upon impact, I think they are hoping that will allow a more severe impact of their targeting in Israel, and potentially reaching Ben Gurion Airport."

When did the Houthis start attacking Israel?

The confrontation began in the autumn of 2023. Shortly after the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, the Houthis announced that they would carry out attacks against Israel "in solidarity."

On October 19, 2023, the US Navy shot down Houthi rockets, believed to be aimed at Israel, over the Red Sea for the first time. On October 31, the Houthis officially confirmed that they had fired drones and rockets at the Israeli city of Eilat.

Since then, they have launched repeated attacks, some of which have triggered air alerts in Israel. July 19, 2024 was particularly severe: A Houthi drone hit the center of Tel Aviv, killing one civilian.

Israel responded with air strikes on Houthi targets in Hodeidah, a Red Sea port city in western Yemen that had already been targeted repeatedly in air attacks by Saudi Arabia.

Yemen analyst Hannah Porter sees a strategic logic in the Houthi attacks. "The Houthis have consistently been targeting Israel since around October 7, 2023," she said. "There have been some pauses and some ups and downs in terms of the frequency of targeting, but the Houthis have made it clear repeatedly, no matter what kind of airstrikes they sustain, from Israel or the US, that they will continue this campaign against Israel."

What interests are the Houthis pursuing?

The Houthis, who refer to themselves as Ansar Allah (Helpers/Supporters of God), have controlled the majority of northern Yemen since 2014. They are fighting a civil war against a government supported by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Houthis are internationally isolated and dependent on their ally Iran.

The United Nations has established that, for years now, Tehran has been supplying the Houthis with weapons and missile and drone technology, as well as supporting them with military training. The Houthis are important to Iran, as they provide it with leverage in the region. With their help, Tehran is able to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and the US, as well as on Israel.

The Houthis, meanwhile, are using the war in Gaza to portray themselves as part of the "resistance camp." They present their attacks on Israel as an expression of Muslim solidarity with Palestinians, which gains them support among their own people. At the same time, they hope to attract international attention, which they can use in the negotiations aimed at ending the Yemeni civil war.

The humanitarian situation in Yemen is dire. Hunger, malnutrition, and undernourishment are at a record high. According to the UN, more than half the population is dependent on humanitarian aid. Infrastructure and the health system have practically collapsed as a result of the civil war.

What consequences will the conflict have for the region?

This new escalation doesn't only affect Israel and Yemen: It also has an impact on global trade. Since late 2023, the Houthis have regularly threatened cargo ships in the Bab el-Mandab Strait, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. Shipping companies often have to take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, and this significantly increases costs.

Consequently, in December 2023, the US and Britain launched the naval Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect shipping traffic in the Red Sea. Since then, there have been repeated strikes by Western forces against Houthi positions. This latest strike by Israel is therefore part of a wider pattern of international military action aimed at limiting Houthi attacks.

This article was originally published in German.