Houthis join Iran war with missile strike on Israel: What’s at stake

SANAA – 28 March 2026: Yemen’s Houthis have resumed attacks on Israel, launching a missile strike that signals their formal entry into the US-Israeli war on Iran.

On Saturday, the group said it carried out its first strike on Israel since the war began, firing “a salvo of ballistic missiles” at “sensitive” Israeli targets in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attack coincided with “heroic” operations by Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, adding that the strike “achieved its goals successfully.”

Israel’s military, however, said it intercepted all incoming attacks and is “preparing for a multifront war.”

While previous Houthi attacks on Israel have largely been intercepted with limited damage, concerns are mounting that the group could again target Red Sea shipping routes.

What’s at Stake?

Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on 28 February, Tehran’s tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted traffic through the critical chokepoint, which carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

At the same time, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, an alternative route for millions of barrels of crude, falls within the Houthis’ sphere of influence.

During the Gaza war, the Houthis repeatedly targeted Red Sea shipping in support of Palestinians, prompting a US bombing campaign in 2025 that caused significant civilian casualties.

The attacks on shipping only subsided after a May deal under the Trump administration, in which Washington halted airstrikes in exchange for an end to Houthi operations against shipping.

Over the past weeks, Iran’s retaliatory strikes have hit several Arab countries that hosts significant US presence, targeting US bases as well as other infrastructure, contributing to major disruptions in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and pushing global energy prices higher.

A renewed Houthi campaign in the Bab Al-Mandab could further disrupt oil supplies and threaten traffic through the Suez Canal, which handles around 15% of global maritime trade and has already suffered heavy losses during previous attacks.

In its latest statement, the Houthis did not reference shipping but said operations would continue until their demands are met, including a US-Israel response to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war.