How Israel’s strikes on the Houthis could reshape Yemen’s conflict

It is easy to overstate the significance of Israel’s strikes on Houthi militia leaders in Sanaa. The operation killed a dozen cabinet members, yet is unlikely to shift regional stability overall. Still, it jolted many Yemenis who had assumed the militia’s rule would drag on, and it highlighted a movement engineered to absorb visible losses while steadfastly safeguarding its true power centers.

Titles like “prime minister” can suggest real authority, but the so-called Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and his cabinet were Houthi appointees behind a government façade. They maintained a public presence in the public arena—shaking hands with loyalists and negotiating with international agencies—serving as the softer face of a group deeply wary of outsiders and fixated on control. Genuine authority has remained confined to a narrow inner circle of family and allies.