The Yemen-based Houthi militant group has claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Israel on Saturday, marking the Iran-backed group’s entry into the widening Middle East conflict and raising concerns over further disruption to key global shipping routes.
The Houthis said they carried out the strike using ballistic missiles targeting Israeli military sites. The group’s armed forces, in a statement on Telegram, cited what it described as “continued military escalation” against Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Palestinian Territories.
“This operation coincided with the heroic operations carried out by the brothers, the fighters in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the operation successfully achieved its goals,” the Iranian proxy group added.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that a missile was launched from Yemen towards Israel, noting that air defence systems were deployed to intercept the threat. Authorities later issued an all-clear for civilians who had taken shelter.
Analysts say the attack may have limited direct military impact but carries wider implications. The Houthis, a Tehran-backed militia, are seen as capable of triggering broader instability, particularly in the Red Sea, a vital route for global trade.
Global shipping and oil markets are already under pressure following Iran’s response to the American-Israeli strike, which effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz. The International Energy Agency has described the situation as the worst disruption in the history of the oil market.
The Red Sea remains a key corridor for international commerce, especially trade between Europe and Asia. Roughly one-tenth of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow chokepoint between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. Saudi Arabia has increased shipments through this route amid the Hormuz disruption.
In recent years, Houthi attacks have sharply reduced traffic along the waterway. The group began targeting vessels in October 2023 in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, leading to a steep drop in shipping volumes. Traffic through the Suez Canal fell by about 70 per cent by mid-2024, according to the United Nations Trade and Development, while oil flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait were cut by half, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration data.
The Houthis succeeded in “hindering, impeding and blocking the Red Sea” during Israel’s war in Gaza, Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told NBC News.
“The American-Israeli war in Iran is really no longer limited. It’s all out regional conflict,” he added. “What I worry about is that it’s no longer just a military conflict; it’s now an economic war that involves the supply chains, the global energy system, and its waterways.”
Through Saturday’s strikes, “the Houthis have given the Americans and the Israelis a taste of what’s to come,” he said.
Last year, President Donald Trump launched a weeks-long bombing campaign against the Houthis, costing about $1 billion, before announcing a ceasefire. The group later sank two more vessels.
By December, oil tankers and cargo ships had been “gradually making a return” to the Red Sea, according to maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s List.
Iran has also warned that the waterway could become a target. It said the 1,400-mile stretch dividing Africa and Asia could face retaliatory strikes due to the presence of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.
(NBC News)