Houthis Enter Iran War With First Missile Strike on Israel

First Strike Since War Began

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Saturday, marking the Iran-backed group's first direct military action since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28. Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesperson, announced the attack via Al Masirah satellite television, claiming the missiles targeted "sensitive Israeli military sites" in southern Israel.

The Israeli military confirmed intercepting the threat and gave civilians an all-clear. Air raid sirens had sounded around Beersheba and near Israel's nuclear research facility at Dimona. No casualties or damage were reported.

Saree warned that strikes "will continue until the declared objectives are achieved" and until aggression against resistance forces ceases — a clear signal that the Houthis intend to remain active participants in the expanding conflict.

A Wider War Takes Shape

The Houthi intervention transforms what began as US-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets into a multi-front regional confrontation. The attack coincided with ongoing operations by Iranian forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon, suggesting coordinated resistance activity across Iran's network of allied militias.

International relations expert Fawaz Gerges warned the conflict has transformed from "a limited war" into "an all-out regional conflict involving economic dimensions." He added: "It's now an economic war that involves the supply chains, the global energy system, its waterways."

The human cost has been staggering. According to PBS News, at least 1,900 people have died in Iran, over 1,100 in Lebanon, 19 in Israel, and 13 American service members since hostilities began. More than 82,000 buildings have been damaged in Iran alone.

Red Sea Shipping Under Threat

The most immediate global concern is the potential disruption of maritime commerce through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Red Sea, a corridor that handles roughly $1 trillion in annual goods and approximately 12% of world trade. About 30% of Israel's imports transit this waterway.

Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour stated bluntly: "Closing the Bab al-Mandab strait is among our options." The group has demonstrated this capability before — between late 2023 and early 2025, Houthi attacks on merchant vessels reduced Suez Canal traffic by 70%, sank two ships, and killed four sailors.

The US Maritime Administration has already issued fresh warnings to commercial vessels in the region, and traffic through the strait remains significantly reduced as operators avoid the route.

Diplomatic Window Narrowing

Amid the escalation, US envoy Steve Witkoff has presented a 15-point "action list" to Iran via a Pakistani intermediary, proposing nuclear restrictions and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Witkoff indicated he expects meetings with Iranian representatives "this week."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a timeline, stating the US "can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops" and characterizing the conflict as likely lasting another two to four weeks. But with the Houthis now actively engaged and threatening one of the world's most critical shipping lanes, the pressure on diplomats to reach a settlement has intensified dramatically.

Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute, warned that the simultaneous closure of both the Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz would create "major international trade disruptions" — a scenario that now appears less theoretical than it did just days ago.