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By Matthew Robinson and Hugh Cameron
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Yemen's Houthi rebel movement has said it launched ballistic missiles at Israel on Saturday, marking its entry into the Israeli-U.S. war against Iran.
The Iran-aligned group said it attacked Israel after its continued attacks on Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories. It added that its military intervention would continue until all "aggression" ends.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of Allah Almighty and relying upon Allah, have carried out the first military operation using a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting sensitive Israeli military sites in southern occupied Palestine," the group said in a statement.
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The Israel Defense Forces said earlier that it had identified a missile launched from Yemen.
"The IDF has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat," the Israeli military wrote on Telegram.
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Why It Matters
The involvement of the Houthis, a political and military organization who exercise effective control over much of Yemen, marks a major escalation in the month-long conflict, adding a new frontier to the war which has already spread across the region.
And as Iran continues to blockade the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation to U.S. attacks, one expert told Newsweek previously that the involvement of the group could further constrain the flow of oil and other shipments leaving the region.
What To Know
For weeks, the Houthis had indicated that they were on the cusp of joining the conflict. On Friday, the group said that its “fingers are on the trigger,” and that any further provocation of Iran by Israel and the U.S. against the “axis of Jihad” would merit a military response.
Saturday’s attack came as Iran continues to respond to strikes on its nuclear facilities. Per Bloomberg, the Houthis said military operations would continue until U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and its allied groups, including Hezbollah, cease.
During previous phases of regional conflict, including Israel’s war in Gaza, the Houthis targeted Israel and attacked commercial shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
And on Thursday, Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth, told Newsweek that their telegraphed entry into the conflict could spark another round of energy supply fears.
“Some [oil] flows through the [Hormuz] Strait have been diverted via pipe to Yanbu which then transits the Red Sea,” she told Newsweek. “The Houthis have targeted shipping in the Red Sea very effectively in recent history. Indications that the Houthis are going to become involved in the conflict would further tighten balances as fewer barrels will likely be able to be rerouted from the Strait to Red Sea.”
What People Are Saying
A Houthi military spokesperson, translated by Al Jazeera on X, said: “The Yemeni armed forced, regarding the immediate intervention and support of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the resistance fronts in Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine, within the current situation of escalation and ongoing attacks against our brothers in Lebanon and Iran and Iraq and Palestine—the Yemeni armed forces with the help of the grace of Allah almighty has done its first military attacks with a barrage of ballistic missiles against military sensitive attacks in Israel [sic].”
What Happens Next
The IDF said that its air defenses were able to intercept the attacks which came from Yemen, and continues to target nuclear facilities in Iran.
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