War escalation fears grow as Yemen’s Houthis launch missile ‘barrage’ at Israel
Neil Johnston, fiona parker And Benedict Smith
Israel has vowed to “pay the price” for the Houthis after the Yemen-based terror group entered the Iran war.
The Houthis, an Iranian proxy group, claimed they targeted “Israel’s secret military sites” with “widespread” ballistic missiles, but Israel said only two missiles were fired and hit.
In addition to missile attacks, the Houthis have said they are ready to blockade the Red Sea and threaten the global energy market, which has already been paralyzed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The militants said in a statement on Saturday night that they “will continue to carry out military operations in the coming days until the criminal enemy stops its attacks and aggression.”
Former US officials told London: Telegram The attack would likely lead to a US attack on Yemen and fuel the expansion of the war in Iran.
Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official, predicted a retaliatory strike would be carried out to ensure the safety of Red Sea shipping.
“This is no longer a war against Iran,” he said. “This is rapidly evolving into a war about the flow of energy and freedom of navigation… whenever there is a challenge to freedom of navigation, it leads to military action.”
Diplomat Alan Eyre, who negotiated the Iran nuclear deal during the Barack Obama administration, also said that the Houthi attack would probably lead to the US attacking Yemen.
However, a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official told Kan News that they have been prepared for a Houthi attack since the war began on February 28 with joint US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
“The Houthis are a distraction. We are not confused and we continue to attack Iran with all our might,” the same person said. “We will determine when and how to strike the Houthis based on our own assessments. They will pay the price.”
The Houthis said the attack was in response to ongoing US and Israeli attacks on infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.
The terrorist organization has so far refrained from participating in the Gulf conflict, adding that attacks will continue until the “attack” ends.
The missiles raised fears that the Houthis could block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a busy Red Sea chokepoint that has become an alternative route for ships since Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused oil prices to rise.
The closure sparked speculation about a US ground offensive as thousands of US sailors arrived in the Middle East aboard the USS Tripoli on Saturday.
US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed on Saturday that an amphibious assault ship carrying 2,500 US Marines has arrived in the Middle East along with transports and attack warplanes.
The warship is equipped to carry F-35 warplanes and Osprey planes, which are used to transport soldiers and cargo.
There is widespread speculation that the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) could be used in amphibious invasions of targets such as Kharg Island, Iran’s largest oil terminal, to put pressure on the regime to end its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard USS Boxer is also expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US could achieve its goals “without any ground troops” but the presence of naval forces gave Donald Trump “maximum options” for “multiple contingencies”.
Former diplomats told Telegram While Trump claimed to be holding peace talks, he said the marines would be an important tool to put pressure on Iran so that the Iranians do not waste time.
But now that the Red Sea is also potentially under threat, the United States may need to reconsider its resources to ensure safe passage through both shipping lanes.
The Houthis had previously closed the Bab el Mandeb Strait, known as the “Gate of Tears”, by attacking ships with unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles.
In response to the war in Gaza, the group attacked more than 100 commercial ships with missiles and drones between November 2023 and January 2025, sinking two ships. The attacks forced the ships to take a much longer route around Africa, and defense analysts said the group entered the war on Tehran’s orders.
Saturday’s missile launch came after Iranian military officials vowed to sow insecurity in the Red Sea.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal and is one of several alternative shipping routes to the Strait of Hormuz. About one tenth of the world’s oil flows through here.
The strait separates Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula from Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa and is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, serving as a key link between Europe and Asia.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, claimed responsibility for the rebels’ missile launches against Israel via the Al-Masirah satellite television channel.
Saree said on Friday that the group’s “fingers will be on the alert for direct military intervention” if new alliances join the war against Iran or the Red Sea is used for “hostile operations” against Tehran.
Ari Heistein, a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said it was possible for the Houthis to join because of “external pressure” from Tehran.
“The Houthis were initially reluctant to rush to Iran’s defense due to their own internal concerns,” he said. “Joining the struggle risked further weakening their legitimacy among the Yemeni people and placing a further burden on an already decimated economy.
“However, they have joined the conflict for a month, either due to mounting external pressures, including repeated threats in the Iranian media to mobilize the group, or an assessment that they can manage the effects within the country. Despite their initial caution, they may escalate further if they do not face serious pushback.”
Last April, the United States struck more than 800 targets in Yemen, killing hundreds of fighters and destroying air defense systems and weapons factories. The US said this reduced the effectiveness of Houthi attacks, cutting missile launches by 69 percent and drone strikes by more than half.
Red Sea ‘threat’
Heistein said the group was weakened by previous attacks on its operations but has since used the time to rebuild.
“So far they seem to have focused primarily on Israel because the Red Sea campaigns have taught them that alienating many powerful countries at once can be extremely costly.
“Their role as an international threat in the Red Sea helped solidify anti-Houthi coalitions and legitimized retaliatory actions on the world stage, a dynamic very different from previous conflicts with Saudi Arabia. Kinetic attacks on the group’s economic assets, sweeping sanctions and decapitations of key leaders have all produced painful consequences.
“After almost six months of silence, they likely used that time to rebuild ahead of the current conflict. This is the unfortunate reality of any pause or ceasefire with a jihadist group like the Houthis: it is exploited to rest and rearm. Even so, it is unlikely they would want to spend all of their limited resources defending Iran.”
Philip Ingram, a defense analyst and former colonel in British military intelligence, said the Houthis were essentially an “extension” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“They are not doing anything on their own initiative and they may not have long-range weapons at their disposal or they may have tried to protect them,” he said.
“They were happy to attack ships and Israel when American planes were not around, but soon they will have seen the US come and retreat.
“The Iranians probably wanted them to do this to split the focus on the war. I think the next logical step would be for them to start attacking the ships again.”
‘As soon as Saudi Arabia starts attacking Iran directly, we will enter another phase of this historic religious civil war and therefore the whole Middle East could explode.’
Philip Ingram, defense analyst
The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 and may have remained on the sidelines until now because they have maintained a ceasefire for years with Saudi Arabia, which launched a war against the group on behalf of the Yemeni government in exile in 2015.
Ingram said it was possible that Saudi Arabia wanted to go to war with Iran attacking US bases on its territory with unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles, and that the Houthis’ blockade of the Red Sea could anger Riyadh.
“Saudi has been making various noises about joining the war, and if that happens, we face a level of tension above that,” he said.
“As soon as Saudi Arabia starts attacking Iran directly, we will enter another phase of this historic religious civil war and therefore the entire Middle East could explode.
“I think the Saudis want to get involved, and I think the Americans probably want them to take a step back. Do the Americans need them? Probably not. I don’t think the Saudis would challenge the Americans by joining without their consent.”
Telegraph, London
Get notes directly from abroad reporters about things that make headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What’s on in the World Newsletter.
