Sanaa (Somalia Today) – Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched missiles at Israel on Saturday, marking their first direct attack on Israeli territory since the outbreak of the US-Iran war five weeks ago.
The escalation sharply heightens the risk of a wider regional conflagration, as the conflict that began on February 28 with joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran continues to spread.
Despite US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assertion that Washington expects to conclude military operations within weeks, Houthi officials vowed to continue their offensive until “aggression” on all fronts ceases.
The widening war has already taken a heavy human toll and caused the most severe disruption to global energy supplies in history, with no diplomatic breakthrough in sight.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had carried out a fresh wave of strikes on government infrastructure sites in Tehran.
Iran retaliated forcefully, hitting an air base in Saudi Arabia. The attack wounded 12 US military personnel, including two in critical condition.
Regional crossfire
The violence has quickly spread across the Gulf.
Early on Saturday, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain reported incoming missile attacks. At least five people were injured when a missile was intercepted near Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port, a vital deepwater container hub.
Kuwait International Airport was also targeted by a swarm of drones that caused significant damage to its radar systems, the state news agency KUNA reported.
Inside Iran, casualties are mounting. Iranian media said a US-Israeli strike on a residential complex in the north-western city of Zanjan killed at least five people and injured seven early on Saturday.
The Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran was also reportedly struck.
The Houthis’ entry into the direct conflict presents a grave new threat to global maritime trade.
The group, which effectively blockaded the Red Sea in late 2023 in support of Hamas, has consistently shown it can strike targets far beyond the Arabian Peninsula.
If the rebels open a sustained new front, the Bab al-Mandab Strait – a narrow 20-mile (32-kilometre) passage off Yemen’s coast – would become a primary target.
Global shipping is already reeling from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway between Oman and Iran that normally handles around a fifth of the world’s daily oil consumption.
The disruptions have sent shockwaves through the global economy. Brent crude rose past $112 a barrel on Friday, up more than 50 per cent since the war began.
In the United States, diesel prices in California hit a record average of $7.17 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association, placing intense inflationary pressure on consumers ahead of November’s midterm elections.
NATO strain
The economic fallout has weighed heavily on the administration of US President Donald Trump, who has expressed frustration with Washington’s European and Asian allies.
Speaking at an investment forum in Miami on Friday, Trump suggested that nations benefiting from trade through the Strait of Hormuz must contribute militarily, questioning the value of the NATO alliance.
“Why would we be there for them if they’re not there for us? They weren’t there for us,” Trump said, referring to the allies’ reluctance to join a war they were not consulted on before the initial February 28 strikes.
The remarks strike at the heart of NATO’s Article 5, the mutual defence clause stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Despite allied reluctance, Washington is expanding its regional footprint.
Rubio said the US could achieve its objectives without a massive ground invasion, but acknowledged that troops are being deployed to give the president “maximum optionality”.
Thousands of US Marines are en route aboard an amphibious assault ship, and the Pentagon is preparing to deploy elite airborne divisions in the coming days.
Diplomatic deadlock
Trump has threatened a devastating escalation – striking Iranian power stations and energy infrastructure – if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, the US president extended the deadline for compliance by 10 days, briefly pausing the threat of strikes that could trigger corresponding Iranian attacks on Washington’s Gulf allies.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remained defiant, warning on the social media platform X that Tehran would “retaliate strongly if our infrastructure or economic centers are targeted”.
“To the countries of the region: If you want development and security, don’t let our enemies run the war from your lands,” Pezeshkian added.
Behind the scenes, regional powers are scrambling to prevent further escalation.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who spoke with Pezeshkian on Saturday, is due to host the Turkish and Saudi foreign ministers on Sunday to explore ways to de-escalate.
Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey have served as intermediaries, though Tehran has publicly maintained that it is not negotiating with Washington. Diplomats familiar with the back-channel efforts caution that direct talks remain highly unlikely in the near term.
