The strikes further escalate Israel’s campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis and risks further escalating conflict.

Israel’s military launched deadly strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen early Thursday, just hours after the Iran-backed militant group’s latest attack on Israel.

Israel has said its fighter jets conducted a series of attacks against military targets in Yemen belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi movement. An Israeli military spokesman said the targets included Red Sea ports and energy infrastructure in the capital Sanaa.

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea for more than a year in what they have described as a campaign in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The Houthis began firing on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and launching drones and missiles at Israel after Gaza-based militant group Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians. Their assaults severely disrupted shipping through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.

Israeli airstrikes targeted key Houthi military sites in Yemen, including power stations and ports in Sanaa and Hodeidah, in retaliation for recent missile launches. The strikes aim to disrupt Houthi operations and military infrastructure.