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An armed Shi'ite movement which controls most of northern Yemen, the Houthis are armed by Iran and part of its so-called Axis of Resistance against Israel.

The group is one of Iran's only robust armed allies after rebels toppled Syria's Bashar al-Assad in Syria while Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah have been degraded by Israeli ground and air raids for much of the last 14 months.

"We are determined to cut off this terror arm of the Iranian axis of evil. We will persist in this until we complete the job," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement from the the air force command center in Tel Aviv.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had struck military infrastructure at Sana’a International Airport, two power stations and three Red Sea ports including the country's largest, Hodeida.

"These military targets were used by the Houthi terrorist regime to smuggle Iranian weapons into the region and for the entry of senior Iranian officials, the Israeli military said. "This is a further example of the Houthis' exploitation of civilian infrastructure for military purposes."

The Houthis have launched multiple missile attacks at Israel in recent weeks, setting off warning sirens and stoking unease just as other military fronts mostly die down.

Yemen's rulers deny being a proxy of Tehran and say their fight against Israel and the United States is in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

"The Houthi terrorist regime is a central part of the Iranian axis of terror, and their attacks on international shipping vessels and routes continue to destabilize the region and the wider world," the Israeli military said.

"(It) operates as an autonomous terrorist group while relying on Iranian cooperation and funding to carry out its attacks."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that Israel would dole out the same treatment it gave Assad, Hamas and Hezbollah to the Houthis, while Defense Minister Israel Katz, vowed to "behead" Houthi leaders.

"Israel is striking the enemies and those who thought they will sever our lives here, so it will apply to everyone," Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

"The Houthis too will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned, and even if it takes time this lesson will be learned across the Middle East," he added.

His comments came two days after his defense minister, Israel Katz, vowed to "behead" the Houthis' leaders in response to their ongoing missile and drone launches against Israel.

"These days, when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran's defense systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which remains the last to stand," Katz said.

"We'll severely cripple the Houthis, damage their strategic infrastructure, and we will behead their leaders – just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon – we will do it in Hodeidah and Sana'a," Katz added.

“Iran should know, its proxies should know and the entire Middle East, anyone who tries to undermine the stability and security of the State of Israel, the IDF will stand firm against them, ready to strike at any time and in any place,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday.

He made the remarks at a pilot graduation ceremony, two days after the Israeli prime minister vowed to continue targeting anyone who tries to harm the Jewish state, amid growing calls by Israeli officials for more direct strikes on Iran in response to the ongoing attacks on Tel Aviv by Tehran-backed Houthis.

"Israel is consolidating its deterrent power, it is striking at those who seek to harm it, it is collapsing Iran's terror branches one after the other," Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli Knesset.

Netanyahu said Tehran was still "busy licking the wounds from the blows we inflicted on them", adding he had instructed the Israeli military in recent days to attack strategic targets of Yemen's armed Houthi group in response to their missile launches at Israel.

The Houthis fired another missile at Israel on Tuesday, despite multiple airstrikes by the United States and Israel against their positions in Yemen over the past few days.

This phase began with the defeats of Hamas and Hezbollah, continued with the weakening of Bashar al-Assad and Iran’s diminishing influence in Syria, and is now advancing as Israel focuses on defeating the Houthis in Yemen.

Evidence suggests that even Iraq’s pro-Tehran Hashd al-Shaabi militia has scaled back its overt support for the Islamic Republic’s agenda, leaving Tehran increasingly isolated in the face of an alliance comprising the US, Israel, and even Europe. Domestically, severe economic challenges and widespread public dissatisfaction have created one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Islamic Republic.

In this context, the overall US policy is combining political, economic, and even military pressure to push the Islamic Republic to the negotiating table. The aim is to reach an agreement stricter than the JCPOA, either halting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs or exposing it to intensified pressure and even potential military action if it refuses to comply.

Despite its structural weaknesses and mounting international pressures, the Islamic Republic’s leadership remains defiant. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatens nuclear weaponization and reclaiming Syria, while simultaneously sending signals of willingness to negotiate through diplomats like Mohammad Javad Zarif. However, it appears that the US, Israel, and even Europe are aware of the dangers of a resurgent Islamic Republic and are determined to prevent it from returning to a position of defiance and belligerence.

The chain of setbacks for the Islamic Republic began with Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023. Tehran mistakenly believed this assault would inflict an irreparable defeat on Israel.

Misguided analyses by the Islamic Republic’s leaders, particularly Khamenei and IRGC commanders, led to decisions that resulted in a series of defeats.

In response to the attack, Israel acted swiftly, strengthening its regional position within 15 months. This included large-scale military operations against Hamas, destruction of its military bases, and the assassination of senior leaders such as Yahya Sinwar, Saleh al-Arouri, and Ismail Haniyeh. Israel also ignored warnings from the US and the international community to launch an offensive in Gaza, leveraging force to reshape the Middle East.

The second major misstep by the Islamic Republic occurred when it urged Hezbollah to attack Israel’s northern borders in support of Hamas. Initially, Israel issued repeated warnings for Hezbollah to cease its aggression. When these warnings were ignored, Israel launched an operation dubbed New Order, which delivered surprising results. These included the destruction of Hezbollah’s command centers and equipment, as well as the killing of senior leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah. These developments fundamentally altered the region’s dynamics and demonstrated that, like Hamas, Hezbollah lacks the capability to withstand Israel’s extensive military campaigns.

On the international stage, the US and Europe, recognizing the Islamic Republic’s vulnerabilities, are now seeking to capitalize on this opportunity to drive significant changes in Iran’s regional policies. Meanwhile, Israel’s aggressive strategies aim to keep Tehran on the defensive.

Within Iran, widespread public dissatisfaction with the regime’s policies and economic mismanagement has deeply affected the country’s social and political landscape.

Popular protests and civil movements highlight the critical role of the Iranian people in shaping the nation’s future. The convergence of international, regional, and domestic pressures has created a historic opportunity to move beyond the Islamic Republic.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar made the request in a letter to US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is the rotating president of the UN Security Council.

In the letter, Sa’ar cited three attacks on Israel over the past week by the Houthis, one of which destroyed a school in Ramat Gan.

“I must underscore that the persistent acts of hostility by the Houthis are in flagrant violation of international law,” he said, calling them “an ongoing threat to international peace and security.”

The Houthis fired another missile at Israel on Tuesday, hours after Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to "behead" the Houthis' leaders.

"These days, when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran's defense systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which remains the last to stand," Katz said Monday.

"We'll severely cripple the Houthis, damage their strategic infrastructure, and we will behead their leaders – just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon – we will do it in Hodeidah and Sana'a," Katz added.

Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, who sits on the Houthi political council in Yemen, sent a threatening message to the US and Saudi Arabia on Monday, saying that "if the Americans attack Yemen, we will attack their interests in the Middle East."

"We will have no red lines," he said, two days after the United States launched precision airstrikes targeting multiple military positions in Sana'a.

Israel's top diplomat on Tuesday instructed his country's diplomatic missions in the European Union and the United Kingdom to push for the designation of Houthis as a terrorist organization.

“The Houthis pose a threat not only to Israel but to the region and the entire world,” Sa’ar said in a statement, warning of the group’s threat to international shipping lanes and calling their designation as terrorists “the first and most basic step” in countering them.

The Houthis are designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the US, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Israel. However, no European countries have listed the group as such to date.