Houthis enter Iran war, raising spectre of closure of Red Sea
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have entered the conflict in the Middle East and launched a missile attack on Israel.
The terror group’s strike raises the prospects of a broader regional confrontation, as well as an increased threat to shipping in the region.
The group said the attack with a barrage of missiles came after continued targeting of infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, adding that their operations would continue until the ‘aggression’ on all fronts ends.
On Friday, Brig Gen Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said the rebels could join the war on behalf of Iran if attacks on the country did not cease.
‘We affirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention in any of the following cases,’ Saree said. They included the ‘continuation of the escalation against the Islamic Republic and the Axis of Jihad and Resistance, as dictated by the theatre of military operations.’
The group has now said it will remain in the conflict until all its goals are met.
There are fears that the move could see wider attacks on shipping in the region and even the closure of the Red Sea, in addition to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis previously launched strikes against vessels in the Red Sea during the height of Israel’s war in Gaza.
