Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have entered the escalating US-Israeli war on Iran, launching a barrage of ballistic missiles toward southern Israel on Saturday.
Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, announced the attack on the group’s Al Masirah television channel, claiming the missiles targeted “sensitive Israeli military sites.”
The Israeli military confirmed it had intercepted at least one incoming missile. Sirens sounded in the Beersheba area and near Israel’s main nuclear research centre at Dimona for the third time overnight into Saturday. No casualties or significant damage were immediately reported.
The strike comes just hours after Saree issued a vague but threatening statement on Friday, signalling that the Houthis were prepared to join the conflict that has already rattled the Middle East and sent shockwaves through global energy markets and shipping routes.
“Battle in Stages”
In his Saturday announcement, Saree declared that the attacks “will continue until the declared objectives are achieved… and until the aggression against all fronts of the resistance ceases.”
Mohammed Mansour, the Houthis’ deputy information minister, told local media that the group was “conducting this battle in stages,” adding that closing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait remained one of their options.
The narrow waterway at the southern entrance of the Red Sea is a critical chokepoint. Roughly 30 percent of Israel’s imports pass through it, and analysts warn that any sustained disruption could severely impact the Israeli economy while further complicating US naval operations in the region.
Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from Sanaa, noted that a potential naval blockade on Israel-linked vessels would represent a significant escalation, echoing the Houthis’ disruptive campaign against Red Sea shipping during the Israel-Hamas war.
A New Front in a Widening War
The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen’s capital Sanaa since 2014, had largely stayed on the sidelines of the direct US-Israeli confrontation with Iran that erupted in late February 2026. Their decision to fire ballistic missiles now opens a dangerous new front.
During the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Houthis launched more than 100 attacks on merchant vessels using missiles and drones, sinking two ships and killing four sailors between November 2023 and January 2025. Those actions disrupted global trade worth an estimated $1 trillion annually through the Red Sea.
Previous US and Israeli responses, including strikes under the Trump administration in 2024, temporarily curtailed Houthi operations but failed to eliminate their capabilities.
Military analysts say Houthi involvement could stretch Israeli and American air defences thinner, force the redeployment of naval assets, and raise the risk of direct confrontation in the Red Sea. The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, currently in port in Crete for repairs, could face renewed pressure if sent back into the area.
Context of the Broader Conflict
The US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, now in its fifth week, has involved extensive airstrikes on Iranian military, nuclear, and industrial targets. President Donald Trump has described the operation as progressing “extremely ahead of schedule,” while claiming Tehran is seeking a deal.
Iran has vowed retaliation through its network of regional allies — the so-called “Axis of Resistance” — which includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, various militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen.
So far, the Houthis had limited themselves to warnings. Their “fingers on the trigger” rhetoric on Friday suggested an imminent shift, which materialized with Saturday’s missile barrage.
Regional and Global Implications
The entry of the Houthis adds another layer of complexity to an already volatile war. Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, has endured years of civil conflict, Saudi-led intervention, and humanitarian crisis. Many ordinary Yemenis fear being dragged deeper into a regional superpower confrontation that could worsen their economic suffering.
For Israel, the attack near the Dimona nuclear facility — even if intercepted — raises concerns about the expanding range and sophistication of Houthi weaponry.
For the United States, it poses fresh challenges to naval operations and supply lines in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
As the conflict enters a new phase, diplomats and analysts are watching closely to see whether the Houthis will escalate further — potentially by targeting commercial shipping again — or whether Saturday’s strike was a symbolic show of solidarity with Iran.
The Houthis have proven resilient in the face of previous military campaigns. Their ability to project power across hundreds of kilometres, despite years of isolation and airstrikes, underscores the difficulty of containing Iran’s network of proxies.
This developing story is being closely monitored as the wider US-Israeli war on Iran continues, with global markets, energy prices, and shipping insurance rates already reflecting heightened regional instability.
Related coverage:
- Houthis warn ‘fingers on the trigger’ as US-Israel war on Iran continues
- Yemenis fear economic fallout from being pulled into regional conflict
- How the US-Israeli campaign against Iran has unfolded in its first month
This article draws on statements from Houthi officials, the Israeli military, and reporting from Sanaa and Jerusalem. No independent verification of all claims was immediately possible amid the fog of war.