The attack marks the Houthis’ first direct military move in the war and signals potential escalation as U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran continue.
A spokesman for the Iran-aligned Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen said on March 28 that the group had entered the Middle East conflict, launching a missile attack against Israel that Tel Aviv said was intercepted.
Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the group’s military wing, said Houthi forces had carried out “the first military operation” using ballistic missiles targeting “sensitive Israeli military sites in southern occupied Palestine,” adding that operations would continue until “the aggression against all fronts of the resistance ceases.”
While Saree said the strike “successfully achieved its objectives,” the Israeli military described the attack as a single missile launched from Yemen that was intercepted.
“Aerial defense systems intercepted the threat,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement, adding that more than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out strikes across Iran on Saturday, targeting weapons production sites, including facilities linked to ballistic missiles.
The Israeli strikes came amid a broader acceleration of attacks against Iranian weapons production facilities in a bid to degrade Tehran’s war-fighting capacity to the greatest extent possible before a possible cease-fire sets in.
The Houthi attack points to a potential widening of the conflict even as U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration is engaged in quiet diplomatic efforts with Iran aimed at securing a cease-fire—talks that Iranian officials have publicly denied.
Israeli security sources told Epoch Magazine Israel that both Washington and Tel Aviv had anticipated the possibility of Houthi involvement.
Red Sea Threat Raises Risk of Wider Escalation
The Houthis have cast their actions as part of Iran’s broader “Axis of Resistance” network and have signaled readiness to expand operations beyond Israel.
In early March, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said the group was prepared to intervene, warning that its “fingers are on the trigger” should developments warrant it.
More recently, Houthi officials have raised the prospect of renewed attacks in the Red Sea, where previous operations disrupted global shipping during the Gaza war.
On March 20, the group threatened to target U.S. vessels and potentially block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—a key chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and a vital route for global oil and trade flows.
In a March 27 statement posted on X, the Houthis’ spokesperson warned that the group would “not allow” the Red Sea to be used for hostile operations by the United States or Israel against Iran, adding that their “fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention.”
By Tom Ozimek
