Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have launched missile strikes against Israel, their first intervention in the United States and Israel’s war on Iran.
The Israeli military said that its aerial defence system had intercepted the threat. These strikes were in support of Iran’s government and its ally Hezbollah, according to the Houthis.
The strike was launched “in view of the continued military escalation, the targeting of infrastructure, and the perpetration of crimes and massacres against our brothers in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Palestine,” wrote Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree.
While the Houthis and Israel did not confirm the strike’s exact targets, Saree said the missiles were launched at “sensitive Israeli military sites in southern occupied Palestine”.
The Houthis had previously fired missiles at Israel during the Israeli invasion of Gaza that began in October 2023. This marked their first intervention in the Iran war, however.
After these strikes, the Houthis said they would not rule out blockading the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandeb strait to increase pressure on the U.S. and Israel.
The Bab al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, and almost 15% of global trade transits through the waterway. The Houthis had halted shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb by attacking ships linked to Israel and its allies for periods between 2023 and 2025.
Israel will also expand its military operations in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend, citing Hezbollah’s continued strikes in support of Iran. Hezbollah, an ally of Iran and the Houthis, has been firing rockets at Israel since the early days of the Iran war.
The Israeli military had said last week that it plans to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River. This is around one tenth of Lebanon’s territory and includes Tyre, the country’s fifth-largest city.
