The Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an airstrike launched at Israel, denoting their entry into the Iran war following weeks of holding out on attacks.
Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, confirmed the attack in a televised address on Saturday, saying the ballistic missile launch was part of their “immediate intervention in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran at resistance fronts in Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine.”
“The Yemeni armed forces, with their help and grace of Allah Almighty, has done its first military attacks with the barrage of ballistic missiles against sensitive military sites in Israel,” Saree said.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the Yemeni strike on Saturday, but said they intercepted the missile.
“Earlier today, the IDF identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel. Aerial defense systems intercepted the threat,” the IDF posted on X.
The Iran-backed Houthis have stayed out of the war since the U.S. and Israel first launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. But their decision to attack Israel and commitment to continue operations in the conflict mark an escalation of the war in the region as another Middle Eastern country joins the fold.
“Our operations will continue till we achieve all the announced and declared objectives,” Saree said. “Until the aggression against all the fronts of resistance will stop.”
The Houthis are the latest group backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to join the conflict, situating themselves alongside Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.
In addition to battling Iran in the airspace in tandem with Operation Epic Fury, Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion has targeted Hezbollah in Lebanon with thousands of airstrikes that have displaced over 1 million Lebanese residents. Hezbollah has also launched thousands of missiles toward Israel, escalating tensions between the terrorist group and the IDF.
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The targeted Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, which is a part of the Guard’s terror network, began after the group launched a missile attack at Israel in response to the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The IDF announced a new phase of the military operation against Hezbollah this week, with a spokesperson saying, “IDF troops are positioned in forward defensive points along the border area in Southern Lebanon.”