Yemen’s Houthis enter West Asia conflict, launch ballistic missiles at Israel

Yemens Iranbacked Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed their first attack on Israel since the outbreak of the current West Asia conflict a month ago marking their entry into the widening conflict between Iran the United States US and IsraelIn a statement posted on X the group mdash which controls most of northern Yemen and had targeted Israel with drones and missiles during much of the previous Gaza war mdash said it had launched ballistic missiles at Israeli military sites A Houthi Spokesman issued a video statement declaring that the group had fired the missiles towards Israeli bases describing it as the ldquofirst military operationrdquo in support of IranA few hours earlier the Israeli military said it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory with aerial defence systems operating to intercept the threat news agency AFP reported There were no reports of casualties or damage in Israel and the missile was reportedly interceptedThe development comes as the war now entering its second month continues to disrupt global shipping and energy supplies with Iran claiming to have closed the Strait of Hormuz to vessels from hostile powersHouthi intervention raises fear over Red Sea and Hormuz shippingDuring Israels recent war on Gaza the Houthis mdash claiming solidarity with the Palestinians mdash had attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden but had largely sat out the latest escalation until SaturdayThe Red Sea route has gained even greater importance in the current war Saudi Arabia has diverted a large proportion of its oil exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu to bypass the Strait of Hormuz which Iran says it has closed to shipping from hostile powers driving up energy prices worldwideWith the Hormuz Strait effectively choked off many shipments now pass through the Omani port of Salalah on the Arabian Sea However Danish shipping giant Maersk said operations there had been temporarily suspended after a drone attack injured one worker and damaged a crane Irans military claimed it had targeted a US logistics vessel near Salalah while Oman reported that a drone attack on the port wounded a foreign workerAir travel has also faced major disruptions Authorities in Kuwait and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan reported damage to airport facilities in strikes In the United Arab Emirates Iranian missiles and drones hit an industrial zone sparking a fire and injuring five peopleWest Asia conflict Ongoing strikes and economic damage across the regionThe war erupted when the US and Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across Iran killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering retaliatory Iranian missile and drone attacks US President Donald Trump has expressed optimism that American forces have significantly degraded Irans military capabilities but no end to the fighting is in sightIn Iran production was shut down at a major steel plant in the southwest after USIsraeli strikes according to the Khuzestan Steel Company as cited by the Shargh newspaper Israel announced fresh strikes on Tehran with an AFP journalist in the city reporting around 10 intense blasts and a plume of black smoke overnightIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sent a message to other countries in the region If you want development and security dont let our enemies run the war from your landsIn Jerusalem AFP journalists reported two blasts after the military detected incoming missiles from IranOn Friday an Iranian missile and drone attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia wounded at least 12 American soldiers two of them seriously according to reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal citing unidentified officialsIrans Revolutionary Guards have warned they will retaliate for any economic damage by striking industrial sites across the region having earlier issued similar threats against US military bases and hotels hosting American troopsDiplomatic efforts amid escalationTrumps special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington this week were certainly hopeful for it Washington expected Tehran to respond to a 15point US peace plan he told a business forum in MiamiIt could solve it all he saidPakistan acting as a gobetween for US and Iranian officials is set to host foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Monday to discuss the crisis Germanys Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had earlier indicated expectations of a direct USIran meeting in Pakistan very soonMeanwhile Thailand has joined a small group of nations that secured safe passage for their oil tankers through the Hormuz Strait with Iranian approval Indonesia said it was in positive talks to obtain a similar exemptionThe Houthi move has heightened concerns of a broader regional confrontation with potential renewed threats to Red Sea shipping and further volatility in global oil and gas markets As the conflict intensifies both military actions and fragile diplomatic channels continue in parallel across the Middle EastWith AFP inputs