SANAA, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israel's intensifying air strikes in Yemen appear to go beyond mere retaliation against the Houthis, signaling what analysts say is a deeper strategic transformation aimed at expanding Israel's regional influence under U.S. protection.

Israel has stepped up deadly strikes on the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa and surrounding areas in recent weeks, hitting not only military sites but also airports, ports, power stations, and concrete plants -- infrastructure key to Houthi governance. The latest strike on Thursday afternoon left nine people dead and 174 others wounded, according to Houthi media.

For Yemeni political analyst Abdullah Ismail, the campaign reflects a deliberate effort by Israel to go beyond deterrence and reshape the regional order.

"Israel today feels encouraged to continue targeting Iran's proxies in the region and to declare, implicitly or explicitly, success in its expansionist ambitions," he said.

He argued that after major developments in Gaza, setbacks for Hezbollah, and the collapse of the former Syrian government, Israel sees an opportunity to act more freely, with U.S. backing, against groups that challenge its security.

Abdulaziz Al-Abara, head of the media unit at the Yemen-based non-governmental Mokha Center for Strategic Studies, said the Israeli campaign has moved beyond tactical deterrence toward "a multi-track strategy to weaken the Houthis' operational capacity and regional connectivity."

He explained that Israel has systematically targeted maritime and logistical infrastructure in Hodeidah and Ras Issa port, "aiming to cripple supply chains and cut off the Houthis' access to weapons and vital goods, potentially undermining port operations for weeks or months and affecting food and humanitarian security in Houthi-controlled areas."

Al-Abara also pointed to a shift from infrastructure to leadership decapitation. The late August strike killing the Houthi prime minister and senior ministers "illustrates an approach to dismantle command-and-control centers and sever operational links between Sanaa and other fronts," he said.

But he noted that the Houthis' top ideological leader remains untouched, allowing the group to sustain morale and mobilization despite logistical attrition.

"In sum, Israel is pursuing a strategic approach -- a mix of logistical strangulation and executive decapitation -- but the continued survival of the Houthis' core ideological leadership keeps the conflict unresolved," Al-Abara concluded.

The Houthis, meanwhile, have vowed to continue their attacks on Israel, framing them as solidarity with Gaza. On Friday, large crowds rallied in Sanaa's Al-Sabeen Square, waving Yemeni, Palestinian, and Houthi flags and chanting slogans against Israel and the United States.

Abed Mohammed Al-Thawr, deputy head for Moral guidance at Yemen's Houthi-controlled defense ministry, described Israel's strikes as "erratic deterrence operations" driven by anxiety over internal unrest and the growing pressure of Houthi missiles and drones.

He claimed the Houthis now possess the capability to strike targets within a 2,500 km radius, giving them leverage to impose "a new military balance from Yemen to the occupied territories."

The Israeli strikes come amid sustained Houthi cross-border ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel since October 2023, along with naval operations against ships the group claims are Israeli-linked, in what it calls support for the Palestinians in Gaza. ■