Mahad Darar, the author of today’s lead story, didn’t need confirmation from the Biden administration that U.S. missiles had reached Yemen. He knew that people in Sanaa could already hear the blasts as they hit Houthi targets in the capital

The strikes – launched by both the U.S. and U.K. military on Thursday – were ordered in retaliation to weeks of raids by Houthi rebels on maritime vessels in the Red Sea. The aim, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, is to “disrupt and degrade” the capabilities of the Iran-backed Houthis to launch attacks.

That might have been achieved in the U.S.-led attack. But Darar, an expert on Yemen at Colorado State University, suggests that might not be the only result. Rather than diminish the Houthis, the attack could embolden them and give them fresh purpose as they emerge from years of intense fighting against rival Yemeni groups.

“The Houthis thrive on foreign aggression to consolidate their power,” he writes. “During the civil war, Houthis were able to portray themselves as the defender of Yemen against Saudi influence. Now they can add U.S. and U.K. interference to the mix.”

This week we also liked stories on the recent Tetris champion and other video game heroes, the physics of sliding snow during an avalanche and the NRA’s messy finances.