In the first of such since the United States-Israeli war on Iran began, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have attacked Israel with a barrage of ballistic missiles.
Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, a Military Spokesperson for the Houthis, announced the attack on Saturday, March 28, 2026, on the rebels’ Al Masirah satellite television.
The Israeli military said that it intercepted one missile. The attack came hours after Saree signalled in a vague statement on Friday that the rebels would join the war that has rattled the Middle East and shocked the global economy.
Saree said that the rebels fired a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting what he described as “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel.
The missile barrage represents the first direct attack claimed by the Houthis against Israel since the United States and Israel began military operations targeting Iran.
The war has created a volatile security environment across the region, raising concerns that additional armed groups could become involved in the conflict.
Mohammed Mansour, the Houthis’ Deputy Information Minister, told local media on Saturday, “We are conducting this battle in stages, and closing the Bab al-Mandeb strait is among our options.”
According to Saree, the missile launch was part of the group’s broader military response to the regional situation, which has intensified following weeks of fighting involving Iran and its adversaries.
While providing limited operational details about the strike itself, Saree indicated that the attack formed part of the Houthis’ declared strategy in response to the ongoing war.
The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital Sanaa since 2014 and so far have stayed out of the US-Israeli war. The militia’s attacks on shipping vessels during the Israel-Hamas war upended commercial transit in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passes each year.
The Houthi rebels attacked more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two ships and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January 2025.
In 2024, the Trump administration launched strikes against the Houthis that ended weeks later.
Houthis Intend To Continue Military Actions On Israel
Moreover, Saree said that the group intends to continue its military actions.
Saree asserted that strikes “will continue until the declared objectives are achieved, as stated in the previous statement by the armed forces, and until the aggression against all fronts of the resistance ceases.”
The Houthis’ involvement in the current conflict could further complicate the already fragile regional security landscape. By launching missiles toward Israel, the group signals that the confrontation may no longer be limited to the main parties directly engaged in the war but could involve additional actors aligned with Iran or sympathetic to its position.
Saree’s remarks also reflect the Houthis’ framing of their actions as part of a broader regional struggle. In his statement, he referenced what the group calls “fronts of the resistance,” a term often used by Iran-aligned groups to describe allied movements across several countries that oppose Israeli and Western influence in the region.
The continued exchange of threats and military actions across multiple fronts has heightened concerns among international observers that the conflict could escalate further if more actors join the fighting.
The Middle East has long been shaped by complex alliances and rivalries, and the entry of additional armed groups into the confrontation risks expanding the scope of hostilities.
The Houthis’ declaration that attacks will continue suggests that the group may conduct additional operations in the coming days or weeks as the broader war evolves. For now, the missile launch adds another dimension to the unfolding regional conflict and highlights the growing number of actors responding to the tensions surrounding Iran.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Elmasry, a Professor of Media Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, opined that if the Houthis decided to move to shut down Bab al-Mandeb strait, “the Red Sea and, ultimately, the Suez Canal, then we would have two major choke points [shut down] along with the Strait of Hormuz.”
“These are major international shipping waterways for international trade, so I think it can be very significant from that standpoint.”
Mohamad Elmasry
He described the Houthis entering the US-Israeli war on Iran as “very significant.” “We have seen over the past two and a half years that Houthis have significant power,” Elmasry told a news agency.
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