Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israeli territory early Saturday, marking the first time forces from Yemen have directly fired on Israel since the conflict began. The Iranian-backed Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the strike, raising fresh concerns about whether the group might again target commercial shipping in the Red Sea corridor.
Sirens sounded around Beer Sheba and near Israel’s primary nuclear research facility for the third time overnight Friday into Saturday as exchanges of fire involving Iran and Hezbollah continued. The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen’s capital Sanaa since 2014, have largely stayed out of the wider Israel-Iran war to date, maintaining an uneasy ceasefire with Saudi Arabia after Riyadh’s intervention in Yemen in 2015.
Earlier assaults on vessels during the Israel-Hamas war severely disrupted Red Sea shipping—through which nearly USD 1 trillion in goods moved annually before the conflict—and Houthi forces have previously launched drones toward Israel. Thursday’s reported missile launch from Yemen thus underscores the potential for the war to widen and for maritime routes to face renewed threats.
Related developments and situational summaries:
– One month into the war with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump listed five goals he wanted achieved before ending military operations, but some objectives remain undefined or unmet as calls grow to “wind down” the campaign amid economic and diplomatic strain.
– Casualties continue to mount: Israeli authorities reported civilian and military deaths in Israel and Lebanon; Iran and Lebanon have each reported more than a thousand fatalities, and U.S. forces have suffered casualties as well. Fighting has produced significant losses across the region, including in Iraq and Gulf Arab states.
– Diplomatic efforts persist even as the U.S. deploys more troops. Envoys from several countries have sought to arrange direct talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives, while G7 foreign ministers formally demanded an immediate halt to attacks on civilians and infrastructure.
– Attacks intensified early Saturday: witnesses in eastern Tehran reported partial power outages after airstrikes, and Israeli cities including Tel Aviv heard loud blasts as emergency teams responded to multiple impact sites.
– Washington has publicly pushed for a diplomatic resolution. President Trump said talks to end hostilities were proceeding “very well” and claimed Tehran had been given additional time to allow reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; Iran denies engaging in negotiations. Mounting economic fallout and market turbulence have increased pressure on U.S. leaders to reduce the conflict’s regional choke points.
– Trump reiterated his push for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia at a Miami event backed by Saudi investment interests, saying the time for ties was “now” once hostilities with Iran end.
– Israel announced strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities after Tehran reported attacks on two of its sites; Israel claimed responsibility and Iran warned it would exact a “heavy price” for the strikes.
The situation remains fluid, with the Houthi claim marking a notable escalation in the geographic scope of direct attacks on Israel and renewing questions about maritime security and broader regional spillover.
