Yemen’s Houthis claim missile strike on Israel, opening new front in war

Yemen’s Houthis said on Saturday they had entered the war, raising fears of wider regional escalation and threats to Red Sea shipping.

Yemen’s Houthis said on Saturday they had launched a missile attack on Israel, marking their first direct strike since the start of the month-long U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and formally opening a new front in the regional conflict. Israel’s military said it had detected a missile launch from Yemen and activated air defence systems in response.

The Houthis’ military spokesperson said the group fired a “barrage of ballistic missiles” at what it described as Israeli military sites in the southern occupied West Bank. In a statement, the group said the attack was carried out in response to what it called strikes on infrastructure and the killing of civilians in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestinian territories.

The Iran-aligned group said its operations would continue until what it called “aggression” against all fronts of the resistance axis came to an end. Until now, unlike Hezbollah and some Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions, the Houthis had largely stayed out of direct entry into the current war despite repeatedly issuing threats.

The move raises fears of a broader regional escalation, especially because the Houthis have previously shown they can threaten long-range targets and disrupt maritime traffic through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Analysts say any sustained Houthi involvement could sharply increase risks to commercial shipping, insurance costs and global energy supply routes.

The attack comes as the wider war enters its fifth week, with U.S. and Israeli strikes continuing inside Iran and Tehran still capable of launching missile attacks despite heavy damage to parts of its arsenal. Reuters reported on Friday that U.S. officials could only confirm destruction of about a third of Iran’s missile stockpile, suggesting the conflict remains far from resolved.

The Houthis had previously targeted ships in the Red Sea and launched drones and missiles toward Israel during the Gaza war, presenting themselves as part of a broader regional alliance aligned with Iran. Those attacks disrupted one of the world’s busiest trade routes and forced many shipping companies to reroute vessels around southern Africa.

Their re-entry into direct hostilities also comes at a time when Washington has been trying to avoid opening too many new military fronts while keeping pressure on Tehran. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week Washington still expected the Iran war to last “weeks, not months,” though military contingencies continue to expand.

Saturday’s strike underscores how quickly the conflict is widening beyond Iran and Israel, with more armed groups now openly stepping in. If the Houthis sustain attacks from Yemen, the war could become even more difficult to contain both militarily and economically.

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