Israel's distance from Yemen and expanded military operations in Lebanon will very likely preclude an expanded, sustained Israeli air campaign against the Houthis, while sporadic Israeli strikes on Houthi-linked targets only risk emboldening the group to attack Israel more frequently. The Israeli military has struck targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen twice in recent months after the Houthis used drones and missiles to attack south and central Israel with increasing accuracy compared with earlier in the Israel-Hamas war. The first Israeli airstrike occurred on July 20, a day after the Houthis launched a fatal drone attack on Tel Aviv that killed one Israeli civilian and injured at least 10 more, marking the first fatal Houthi attack on Israeli soil. Israel's retaliatory attack targeted the port city of Hodeidah, damaging a power plant and a Yemen Petroleum Company fuel storage facility, killing 14 individuals, and injuring more than 90 others. Israel's second attack...
