Iran-allied Houthis attack Israel and raise fears of war expansion

Traces of missiles launched from Yemen against Israel, seen in the sky over Hebron, West Bank Anadolu via Getty Images Yemen’s Houthis, allies of Iran, claimed this Saturday (28/03) their first attack against Israel since the start of the current conflict in the Middle East. 🗒️ Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 The group claims to have fired a series of ballistic missiles “targeting sensitive Israeli military targets” in response to attacks against Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories. The Houthis also said that their operations will continue until the end of the “aggression” on all fronts. Earlier this Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. The Houthis began attacking ships in the Red Sea in November 2023 and regularly launched missiles at Israel after the start of the war in Gaza Reuters via BBC The Houthis’ direct involvement in the conflict raises fears of an expansion of the war, according to experts. For Jo Floto, head of the BBC News Middle East bureau in Jerusalem, the intervention opens a new front in the conflict in the Arabian peninsula. And according to researcher Farea Al-Muslimi, from the British think tank Chatham House, the new development is of “huge importance” given the influence that the Houthis maintain in the Red Sea. The group has already threatened to block and attack the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located between Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea. The strait controls maritime traffic towards the Suez Canal and transports around 12% of the oil sold by sea in the world. See the videos that are trending on g1 In the last month, the route has gained even more importance by becoming an alternative for the flow of oil from the Middle East, given the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. At other times, such as during the war in Gaza, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has been targeted by the Houthis, who blocked the route by attacking ships, using drones and missiles. When asked how disruptive another effective blockade of the strait would be, Al-Muslimi said it would be “a nightmare.” “We already have a nightmare, and this would only make it worse,” said the expert. The Houthis have become a powerful force in Yemen Reuters via BBC On Thursday (26/3), the semi-official Iranian agency Tasnim, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, reported that the Houthis — an armed group in Yemen supported by Iran — were ready to take control of the strait as part of what they call “resistance forces.” “If there is a need to control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to further punish the enemy, the heroes of Yemen’s Ansar Allah are fully prepared to play a key role,” an Iranian military source told the agency, adding that the Houthis have already proven that closing the route “is an easy task for them.” The previous day, the same Tasnim had already published a warning made by a source: “If the Americans want to think of a solution to the Strait of Hormuz with reckless measures, they must be careful not to add another strait to their problems”, said the source, in reference to the movement of American troops in the region. Even before Saturday’s attack, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi had already reinforced threats about an escalation, saying that the group would respond militarily to attacks from the US and Israel if the developments of the war required it, according to Bloomberg. To Reuters, another Houthi leader, speaking anonymously, stated that they are “militarily ready” to attack the Bab el-Mandab Strait in support of Tehran. “We have all the options at our disposal. The decision on the moment is up to the leadership, which monitors developments and will define the right time to act”, he declared. Following the threats, the United States issued a warning about the possibility of Houthi attacks in the Bab el-Mandab Strait. “Although the Houthi terrorist group has not attacked commercial vessels since the October 2025 Israel-Gaza ceasefire agreement, the Houthis continue to pose a threat to U.S. assets, including commercial vessels, in this region,” said a warning published by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration on Thursday. Who are the Houthis? The Houthis are an armed political and religious group that defends Yemen’s Shiite Muslim minority, the Zaidis. They declare themselves part of the Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance” against Israel, the US and the West in general, along with armed groups such as Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Formally known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), the group emerged in the 1990s and is named after its founder, Hussein al-Houthi. The current leader is his brother, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. How did the Houthis occupy large parts of Yemen? The Houthis gained great political strength in Yemen in early 2014 when they rose up against Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, successor to Ali Abdullah Saleh. They reached an agreement with their former enemy and tried to return Saleh to power. Rebels have taken control of Saada province in northern Yemen. And in early 2015, they captured the country’s capital, Sanaa, forcing President Hadi to flee abroad. The majority of Yemen’s population lives in areas under the control of the Houthis Reuters via BBC Yemen’s neighbor Saudi Arabia intervened militarily to try to overthrow the Houthis and reinstate Hadi as president. The action had the support of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The Houthis repelled the attacks and continued to control large parts of Yemen. They assassinated Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2017 when he tried to switch sides and ally with the Saudis. 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