ISLAMABAD: The Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen said it launched an attack against Israel for the first time since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, risking further escalation in the month-long conflict that has engulfed the Middle East.
The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, and that it was intercepted.
The Houthis also released a statement saying the group carried out its “first military operation” in support of Iran, using “a barrage” of ballistic missiles to target Israeli military sites.
The operation would continue until military objectives had been achieved, said Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the group.
For the first month of the conflict, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants largely stayed out of it. Their action to join in is significant as it appears to add another front to the war and raises the prospect of further disruption to shipping, which has already seen energy prices spike and global markets roiled after Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
During the war in Gaza, the Houthis became a disruptive force among Iran-backed proxy groups, launching more than 100 missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea from their stronghold in Yemen’s north.
The militant group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, said its “naval blockade” was carried out in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against Israel. It sank four vessels including at least two cargo ships, killing at least eight sailors.
Last March, President Donald Trump launched an attack against the group after it targeted maritime traffic and American troops in the Red Sea. The campaign saw U.S. warships and jets launched across Yemen in an effort to degrade Houthi military capabilities and doubled as a warning to Tehran. The nearly-two month operation ended in a ceasefire brokered by Oman, with Trump claiming the Houthis had “capitulated” and pledged to stop their attacks on ships.
In the current U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, the Houthis have been threatening to join in support of Iran and their regional allies.
On Friday, Saree warned the Houthis’ “fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention.” He said they would act if there was an escalation of attacks against Iran, if there was the “joining of any other alliances with America and Israel,” or if the Red Sea was used to carry out “hostile operations” against any Muslim country.
Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz has frustrated the Trump administration’s war effort. Roughly 15 percent of the world’s oil and 20 percent of its liquefied natural gas pass through the narrow strait, but maritime traffic has been effectively blocked after attacks and threats from Iran.
Trump said Thursday he would delay attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure for 10 days, citing progress in negotiations with Tehran after the U.S. submitted a 15-point plan to end the war.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian about efforts to de-escalate, as Israel and Iran traded further strikes. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are expected to visit Islamabad on Sunday for further talks.
