Yemen’s Houthis Enter Iran War, Launch First Missile Strikes on Israel
Attacks open new front in monthlong conflict as US Marines arrive in region and diplomats scramble to contain escalation
CAIRO — March 29, 2026 — Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched their first missile and drone attacks on Israel on Saturday, March 28, officially entering the monthlong war between Iran and the US-Israel alliance and opening a new front that threatens to further disrupt global shipping lanes and energy supplies.
The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, announced two separate operations against Israel within less than 24 hours. The first involved a ballistic missile barrage targeting “sensitive military sites” in southern Israel, while the second employed cruise missiles and drones aimed at “vital sites,” according to statements posted on social media platform X . The Israeli military confirmed that missiles had been fired from Yemen and reported that air raid sirens sounded in Dimona, Beersheba, and Eilat, though there were no reports of casualties or damage .
Global Markets Rebound as US-Iran Ceasefire Hopes Drive Oil Below $100, Gold Surges.
Saree said the attacks were coordinated with Iran and Hezbollah and vowed that Houthi operations would continue in the coming days until “the aggression stops” .
A New Front in the Red Sea
The Houthi entry into the conflict marks a significant escalation in a war that began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, killing then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and more than 1,340 people, according to Iranian officials . Since then, the conflict has spread across the Middle East, with Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, and now Yemen joining the fight against Israel and US forces in the region.
Until Saturday, the Houthis had stayed out of the hostilities, despite their previous record of disrupting Red Sea shipping during the 2023-2025 Gaza war, when they attacked more than 100 merchant vessels, sinking two and forcing major shipping companies to reroute around Africa . The group’s entry now raises the specter of renewed attacks on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, a chokepoint for approximately 12 percent of global trade and a critical route for vessels heading to the Suez Canal .
“The impact would not be limited to the energy market,” Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, told the Associated Press, warning that Houthi attacks on commercial shipping would further destabilize “all of maritime security” .
Yemeni Government Condemns Houthi Intervention
Yemen’s internationally recognized government issued a statement on Saturday warning of “serious consequences” from the Houthi military intervention, accusing the group of endangering national security, disrupting supply chains, and increasing food and energy prices .
“The decision of war and peace is an exclusive sovereign right of the Yemeni state and its constitutional institutions, and any military actions outside this framework are considered unlawful acts of aggression,” the government said in a statement carried by the official Saba News Agency .
The government also called on the international community “to take a firm stance against repeated Iranian violations of Yemeni sovereignty” and to exert “maximum pressure on the terrorist Houthi militias” .
US Marines Arrive as Pentagon Prepares Ground Options
As the Houthis entered the war, the first contingent of thousands of US Marines arrived in the Middle East aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, the US military confirmed on Saturday . The deployment adds to what officials describe as the largest American force in the region in more than two decades, including two aircraft carriers, several other warships, and approximately 50,000 troops .
The Washington Post reported late Saturday that the Pentagon is preparing plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran, potentially including raids by Special Operations and conventional infantry troops on Kharg Island and sites near the Strait of Hormuz, though President Donald Trump has yet to approve any such deployment .
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the United States “can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops,” but acknowledged that forces were being deployed to give Trump “maximum optionality” to adjust strategy as needed .
Philippines Declares National Energy Emergency as Middle East Crisis Threatens Fuel Supply ‘A New Era of Cosmic Surveys’: NASA to Unveil Complete Roman Space Telescope Ahead of Fall Launch.
Heavy Strikes Across the Region
The fighting intensified across multiple fronts on Saturday. Israel’s military carried out a wave of attacks on Tehran, targeting what it said were infrastructure sites belonging to Iran’s government, including the headquarters of the Marine Industries Organisation, which the military said developed “a wide range of naval weaponry” . A wave of blasts rang out in the Iranian capital Saturday evening, with witnesses telling AFP the strikes were “so intense it felt like all of Tehran was shaking” .
In Lebanon, where Israel has resumed its war against Hezbollah, an Israeli strike killed three Lebanese journalists in the south, including Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, one of the network’s most prominent war correspondents . A follow-up strike on rescue workers sent to assist them also caused fatalities. The Israeli military accused Shoeib of being part of a Hezbollah intelligence unit operating “under the guise of a journalist” . Lebanese authorities condemned the killings as war crimes .
Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Gulf states after striking Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, wounding 12 US military personnel, two of them seriously, in one of the most significant breaches of American air defenses since the war began . Air defenses shot down a drone near the residence of Masoud Barzani, leader of the Iraqi Kurdish ruling party, in Erbil early Sunday, security sources told Reuters .
Diplomatic Efforts Intensify
As fighting escalates, diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict are underway. Pakistan will host foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt in Islamabad on Sunday, March 29, and Monday, March 30, for talks on easing regional tensions . Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Islamabad “for its mediation efforts to stop the aggression” during a phone call with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif .
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Friday that a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan could take place “very soon,” promoting a 15-point plan that Washington says “could solve it all” . However, Tehran has publicly denied holding direct negotiations with Washington. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Turkish counterpart by phone that Tehran was skeptical about recent diplomatic efforts, accusing the US of making “unreasonable demands” and exhibiting “contradictory actions” .
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Saturday that Iran has agreed to allow an additional 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, with two ships permitted to transit daily — a meaningful step toward easing the energy crisis caused by the effective closure of the waterway .
Humanitarian Toll Mounts
The human cost of the conflict continues to rise. According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration, 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran—including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people—have been damaged by US-Israeli strikes since the war began . The Iranian Ministry of Health announced that 1,937 people have been killed, including 230 children . The Iranian Red Crescent Society said more than 93,000 civilian properties have sustained damage .
In Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported that 1,189 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including nine paramedics killed on Saturday alone, bringing the total death toll among healthcare workers in the latest war to 51 .
More than 300 US service members have been wounded in the conflict, and at least 13 have been reported killed, according to US military figures .
What Comes Next
The Houthi entry into the war poses a new challenge for global energy markets already strained by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Saudi Arabia has rerouted much of its oil exports through the Red Sea to avoid the strait , but if the Houthis resume attacks on Bab al-Mandeb, that alternative route could also become perilous.
Trump has threatened to hit Iranian power stations and other energy infrastructure if Iran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But he extended a deadline he had imposed for this week, giving Iran another 10 days to respond . With US midterm elections due in November, the increasingly unpopular war has weighed on Trump’s Republican Party, and the president has appeared eager to end it soon while also threatening further escalation .
As of Sunday, March 29, the Houthis have vowed more strikes to come, and the USS Tripoli and its Marines are in position in the region, awaiting orders. The war has now spread to every corner of the Middle East — and shows no sign of abating.
SOURCES / INPUTS
Al Jazeera: As war on Iran enters second month, Yemen’s Houthis open new front
Modern World Order Explained: Power, Alliances & Global Systems.
Millions Protest Across US in Third Wave of ‘No Kings’ Rallies Against Trump Policies, Missing Aid Sailboats Arrive Safely in Cuba After Days-Long Search, Delivering Final Shipments of Solidarity Convoy.
