Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesman, announced the strikes on the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television channel on Saturday. He said the attacks would continue until their stated objectives are achieved and what he described as aggression against “resistance fronts” comes to an end.
The Israeli military confirmed that it intercepted one of the missiles. Air raid sirens were reported in areas including Beer Sheba and near Israel’s main nuclear research facility, as tensions escalated overnight.
The attack followed a statement by Saree a day earlier संकेत that the Houthis would join the ongoing conflict, which has already drawn in Iran and Hezbollah. He claimed that the missiles targeted “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel.
The Houthis, who have controlled the Yemeni capital Sanaa since 2014, had previously remained outside the current US-Israel war. However, they have a track record of targeting shipping routes, particularly during the Israel-Hamas conflict, when attacks in the Red Sea disrupted global trade.
Between November 2023 and January 2025, the group reportedly attacked more than 100 commercial vessels using missiles and drones, sinking two ships and killing four sailors. In response, the administration of Donald Trump carried out strikes against Houthi positions in 2024.
Analysts say the Houthis’ entry into the conflict could have far-reaching implications. Mohamad Elmasry noted that the group has the capability to threaten key maritime chokepoints such as the Bab al-Mandab Strait, potentially impacting access to the Suez Canal and global trade flows.
Reporting from Ramallah, journalist Nida Ibrahim said the development opens a new front in the conflict, adding pressure on Israel and raising questions about the sustainability of its military strategy. She noted that Israel is likely to respond, as it has in previous instances when Yemen-based forces became involved in regional hostilities.
