Houthis Strike Tel Aviv: Mideast War on 5 Fronts?

• Israel strikes Yemen after drone
• Yemen rebels seek war’s end, power
• Houthis target Israel, sparking wider conflict
• Houthi drone attack stuns Israel
• Israel retaliates in Yemen strike
• Israel, Houthis, and Hezbollah intensify conflict
• Mideast tensions rise as Houthis target Israel

Israel strikes Yemen after drone

Houthis Strike Tel Aviv: Mideast War on 5 Fronts?

For the first time, Israel has conducted a strike inside Yemen, responding to a lethal drone attack on Tel Aviv launched by Houthi rebels. Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, the Houthis have been targeting Red Sea shipping routes in support of Gaza.

Following Israel’s retaliation on Saturday, the Houthis claimed to have fired a new round of missiles at Israel, pledging a “huge and great” response. This direct engagement between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels now risks opening a new front in a conflict already poised to escalate across the region. Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam referred to the situation as “open war” on Sunday.

Houthis Strike Tel Aviv: Mideast War on 5 Fronts? The Houthis, an Iran-backed Islamist group based in Yemen, are also known as Ansar Allah. They are one faction in Yemen’s nearly decade-long civil war. Originating in the 1990s under the leadership of Hussein al-Houthi, the movement began as “Believing Youth,” a religious revival effort for the centuries-old Zaidism sect of Shia Islam.

Following a ceasefire, the Houthis have strengthened their control over most of northern Yemen and are seeking an agreement with Saudi Arabia, Iran’s major rival, to permanently end the war and secure their position as the country’s rulers.

Houthis Strike Tel Aviv: Mideast War on 5 Fronts? The Houthis are believed to have received arms and training from Iran. Since the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent ground and air operations in Gaza, the Houthis claim they have been seeking revenge against Israel by targeting Red Sea shipping. In response to these attacks, the US and UK have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, though Israel has not participated in these responses.

An Israeli army spokesman stated that the militant group has targeted “Israeli civilians and civilian infrastructure” around 200 times during this period. Most of these attacks were intercepted by US Central Command, but Israel’s air defenses have also intercepted Houthi drones and missiles both inside and outside Israeli airspace.

Houthis Strike Tel Aviv: Mideast War on 5 Fronts? A significant turning point for Israel occurred on Friday when a drone attack on Tel Aviv resulted in the death of one Israeli citizen and injuries to several others. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesperson Yahya Sare’e stating that the operation used a new drone capable of bypassing enemy interception systems.

Sare’e declared that these strikes would continue in response to what he described as Israel’s massacres and daily crimes against their brothers in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized that their operations would only stop when the aggression ends and the siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted. This attack marked the first time Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub, was hit by a drone claimed by the Houthis. Israeli authorities are currently investigating the circumstances and potential security lapses surrounding the incident.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari indicated that the military suspects the drone was an Iranian-made Samad-3 model launched from Yemen and upgraded to extend its range. He also mentioned that a second drone was intercepted east of Israeli airspace at the same time as the attack. In response, Israel is upgrading its air defenses and increasing aerial patrols along its borders.

Houthis Strike Tel Aviv: Mideast War on 5 Fronts? Israel responded a day later by striking the Yemeni port of Hodeidah with aircraft, marking its first attack on Yemen. According to Yemeni officials, the strike resulted in at least six deaths and numerous injuries. The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that the attacks targeted oil facilities on Yemen’s west coast.

Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam claimed the strikes also hit civilian areas and a power station, condemning the “brutal Israeli aggression” aimed at increasing the suffering of the Yemeni people and pressuring the group to cease its support for Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the port was used by Iran to supply arms to Yemen. “The port we attacked is not an innocent port. It was used for military purposes, as an entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran,” he said on Saturday. Netanyahu also emphasized that the operation, which struck targets 1,800 km (1,118 miles) from Israel’s borders, demonstrated Israel’s commitment to responding to threats. “It makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the State of Israel will not reach,” he added.

Israel, Houthis, and Hezbollah intensify conflict

Houthis Strike Tel Aviv: Mideast War on 5 Fronts? Neither side has indicated any willingness to back down. Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute noted on X that “It’s not in the Houthi ‘DNA’ to de-escalate with Israel.”

Houthi army spokesperson Yehya Saree stated that the Houthis are “prepared for a long war” with Israel and that Tel Aviv remains unsafe. Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, warned that the “blood of Israeli citizens has a price” and that any attack on Israelis will result in a response similar to those in Lebanon and Gaza.

On Sunday, the Israeli military reported intercepting a missile approaching Israeli territory from Yemen, while the Houthis claimed to have launched several ballistic missiles.

The war in Gaza has also intensified tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Since October 8, when Hezbollah fired at three Israeli border posts “in solidarity” with Palestinians, the two sides have been exchanging cross-border fire.

Houthis Strike Tel Aviv: Mideast War on 5 Fronts? Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi stated in a televised address on Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV that the group intends to continue the “fifth stage of escalation in support of Gaza.” He noted that Friday’s drone attack on Tel Aviv marked the beginning of this stage.

While the rising tensions with the Houthis present new challenges for Israel, Hezbollah remains the larger threat due to its extensive arsenal and proximity to Israel. Yoel Guzansky, a senior fellow at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and former member of Israel’s National Security Council, told CNN that he believes Israel has so far been restrained in its response.

Guzansky suggests that Israel’s recent actions were meant to signal to the US and the international community that “enough is enough,” choosing a high-visibility target to make this point clear.

“You have to signal to a rogue actor that is attacking you that there is a price to pay, and I think this is what Israel tried to do,” Guzansky explained.

Like the Houthis, Hezbollah is heavily backed by Iran, which openly displays its hostility towards Israel. Any increase in hostilities between Israel and Iran’s proxies is viewed as highly destabilizing, as it could push the two nations closer to open warfare. Israel and Iran have already had one direct exchange since October 7, and the international community is keen to avoid a recurrence.