Israel is signaling a wider campaign against Houthi militants in Yemen, a mountainous and impoverished country more than 1,000 miles from Israeli territory.

Emboldened by the results of 14 months of regional war, and backed by the U.S., Israel has steadily intensified its bombing attacks against Yemen. On Thursday, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Yemen’s capital and the port of Hodeidah,

The Houthis, who have been in a strong position in the civil war in Yemen since 2021, have sought to use the window of opportunity opened by the war in Gaza to expand their regional footprint. They are now the only pole of the ‘axis’ standing,