Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Israel for the first time since US and Israeli forces launched their war against Iran, signalling that one of the Islamic republic’s most powerful militant allies has entered the four-week conflict.
The Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile that was fired from Yemen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, said on X that the attack was in support of Iran and Hizbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant movement that has been firing hundreds of drones, rockets and missiles at Israel since the war erupted.
The Houthis’ decision to target Israel is the latest escalation of a conflict that has spread across the energy-rich Gulf, sending oil and gas prices to multi-year highs as Iran has attacked Washington’s Arab allies.