The Houthi armed forces in Yemen admitted to launching a series of missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks on Israel. Houthi involvement raises concerns that fighting in the Gaza Strip will spread.
The New York Times reported that Houthi, the Iran-backed armed force in Yemen, admitted on October 31 to carrying out an attack on Israel to “support our brothers in Palestine”.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched “a large number” of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and UAVs at targets in Israel. This person said that this was the third such attack on Israel since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7, and there will be many similar attacks in the future.
Previously, the Israeli army announced that it had intercepted missiles targeting the country from the Red Sea. “A surface-to-surface missile launched toward Israel from the Red Sea was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow long-range defense system,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The IDF added that its fighters also intercepted UAVs in the area. A Houthi representative confirmed: “These UAVs come from Yemen.”
Houthi is an Islamic movement combined with politics and armed forces, representing the Zaidi people of Shiite Islam, active in northern Yemen since 1992.
As part of the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance”, the Houthis have supported the Palestinians since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. In addition to the Houthis, previously, Hezbollah in Lebanon, a force also backed by Iran, also opened fire on Israel’s northern border.
The Houthi statement about the attack on Israel on October 31, if confirmed, will mark this force’s involvement in the current conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. This raises concerns about the risk of war spreading throughout the Middle East.
Iranian officials have recently repeatedly warned about the possibility of new fronts forming against Israel and its US allies if Tel Aviv continues to attack Gaza.
“The US advises all parties to exercise restraint but has fully sided with Israel. Many new fronts will appear to deal with the US if they continue to act as they have in the past. The US must decide whether they want to go to war.” more ferocity,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated last week.
Mr. Hossein said that it is “very normal” for armed groups backed by Tehran to attack Israel in the current situation.
“It is natural that resistance groups and movements do not keep silent about all these actions (Israel’s campaign against Gaza). They will not wait for anyone’s advice, so we need to Take advantage of the last political opportunities to end the war,” the Iranian diplomat emphasized.
He warned that fighting in Gaza will spread if the parties do not quickly reach a ceasefire agreement. However, Israel declared that now is not the time for a ceasefire.
