Yemen, already embroiled in years of civil strife and humanitarian crisis, now finds itself further destabilized by the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iranian-backed forces across the Middle East. In the wake of ongoing hostilities, Yemeni civilians have openly condemned the Houthi militant group for provoking Israeli military retaliation, which has exacerbated suffering in the country.
Israeli strikes on Houthi positions—conducted as acts of self-defense in response to attempts by the Houthis to participate in Tehran’s multi-front war against Israel—have targeted weapons depots, missile launchers, and command sites identified as threats to Israeli or regional security. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), directed by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, maintain that these operations are necessary measures to counter missile and drone attacks and to provide security for Red Sea shipping routes, which have come under frequent assault from Houthi-launched projectiles.
The current escalation can be traced to the broader conflict triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack—the deadliest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust—which set off a campaign by Iranian-backed groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, to attack Israel from multiple fronts. The Houthis, operating from their strongholds in northern Yemen, have repeatedly attempted to launch ballistic missiles and drones targeting both Israel and commercial vessels navigating strategic waterways.
As a consequence, Israel has executed precision strikes against Houthi infrastructure in Yemen. The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describes these as focused, proportional self-defense responses against imminent threats posed by Iranian proxy groups. The international community, including the United States under President Donald Trump, has publicly supported Israel’s right to defend itself and maintain stability in key transit corridors.
For Yemen’s civilians, however, the toll is immediate and personal. Social media channels and local reports have captured ordinary Yemenis directing their ire and frustration at the Houthi leadership, accusing them of placing ideological allegiances to Iran above the welfare of Yemenis. Their anger is sharply voiced in public statements, at street gatherings, and on digital platforms, with many blaming the Houthis for drawing Israeli fire and worsening the humanitarian catastrophe already plaguing Yemen.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains severe: food insecurity, economic collapse, and lack of access to basic healthcare have left millions in desperate conditions. International relief agencies have warned that renewed military operations and instability threaten to push even more Yemenis into poverty and hunger. The UN and other organizations have repeatedly called for the protection of civilians and adherence to international humanitarian law by all parties.
While Israel emphasizes the precision and necessity of its strikes, civilian infrastructure and non-combatants are too often caught in the crossfire—a phenomenon widely attributed by analysts to the Houthis’ strategy of embedding military assets within populated areas. This mirrors tactics documented among other Iranian-backed terror groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, where militants use civilian infrastructure as shields in hopes of deterring counterstrikes or attracting international condemnation of Israel.
Regionally, the Houthis’ actions are understood to be part of Iran’s concerted effort to open new fronts against Israel and destabilize its allies. The so-called “axis of resistance”—Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis—has coordinated attacks and information campaigns to challenge Israel’s security and its regional partnerships, including the Abraham Accords and growing ties between Israel and Gulf states.
Amid these movements, anti-Houthi sentiment in Yemen is more open and pronounced than at any point in recent years. Residents decry the group’s focus on external conflicts at the expense of urgent domestic priorities, such as ending Yemen’s internal war, rebuilding infrastructure, and securing humanitarian aid. Independent analysts suggest that this wave of popular discontent could mark a tipping point in Yemeni attitudes toward continued Houthi rule and Iran’s regional agenda.
Yemeni officials not aligned with the Houthis have called for renewed international pressure to isolate the group and facilitate intra-Yemeni dialogue focused on diplomacy, reconstruction, and relief. Meanwhile, the Houthis remain publicly defiant and continue to vow resistance against what they and their Iranian sponsors describe as foreign aggression—further deepening the impasse.
In summary, Israel’s responses in Yemen are a direct extension of its campaign to counter Iranian-backed terror, conducted with stated intent to minimize civilian harm and focused solely on degrading terror infrastructure. The unintended consequence—heightened hardship for ordinary Yemenis—is now prompting open civilian dissent against the Houthis, who are increasingly seen as serving foreign interests rather than those of the people they purport to govern. The Israeli government continues to express a willingness to scale back its operations should threats from Yemen diminish, but stresses its determination to safeguard national and regional security as long as Iranian proxies remain active. The coming months will test whether this cycle of proxy-driven conflict and local backlash brings new momentum for change, or deeper entrenchment of violence and suffering in Yemen’s beleaguered population.
