Yemen's Houthis attack Israel for the first time in war against Iran
They warn that their operations will continue until "the aggression on all fronts of resistance" is stopped
BarcelonaYemen's Houthis, allies of Iran, announced this Saturday that they have launched a wave of ballistic missiles towards southern Israel. They say this is the first phase of a direct military intervention in support of Tehran and its allied groups in the Middle East. In a televised statement, the spokesman for the Houthi military wing, Yahya Sarea, stated that the attacks are against “sensitive military targets” in southern Israel and that they have been launched in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Precisely, Tehran still has the option to close access to the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which the Houthis control in Yemen, to further aggravate the energy crisis caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The group justifies the attacks as a response to the continued American and Israeli offensive against Iran and against Tehran's allied movements in Lebanon, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories.
Sarea said that the operation “has successfully reached its objectives” and threatened further attacks.
“Our operations will continue until the declared objectives are achieved (...) and until the aggression against all resistance fronts ceases,” he stated.
Sarea said on Friday night, before the attack, that these conditions include “the incorporation of any new alliance with the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran” and “the use of the Red Sea to carry out hostile operations” against Tehran or any Muslim country.
The Houthi declaration, which until now had limited its response to the war in Iran to threats, comes hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported early this morning that they had detected a missile launched towards their territory from Yemen.
“Air defense systems are operational to intercept the threat,” the IDF stated on their Telegram channel, before declaring the threat concluded.
The Houthi attack comes exactly one month after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, the stronghold of the “Axis of Resistance” which includes the Houthis, among other armed groups in the Middle East.
The renewed Houthi military campaign carries the risk of aggravating an already volatile regional conflict.
The group's geographic position along the Red Sea, especially near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, grants it the ability to disrupt one of the world's most important maritime corridors.
Previous attacks against ships transiting the area forced shipping companies to reroute to avoid southern Africa, underscoring the global economic implications of the Houthi escalation.
During the war in Gaza, the Houthis launched over 1,800 attacks against Israel in support of Palestine, including ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, drones, and vessels, according to figures provided by the Yemeni insurgents.
Most of these attacks are intercepted by Israel without causing casualties or damage.
