Yemen Launches First Missile at Israel as Middle East Conflict Expands

Israeli forces successfully stopped a missile fired from Yemen early Saturday, marking the first attack by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since the Middle East war began. The escalation raises concerns about renewed threats to Red Sea shipping routes that handle about $1 trillion in global trade annually.

Israeli military forces successfully stopped a missile fired from Yemen early Saturday morning, marking the first attack by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since the current Middle East conflict began.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree took responsibility for the attack during a Saturday morning broadcast on the rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite television network. The Houthis’ entry into the conflict raises serious concerns about potential renewed attacks on commercial vessels traveling through the crucial Red Sea shipping corridor.

Warning sirens sounded around Beer Sheba and near Israel’s primary nuclear research facility for the third time Friday night into Saturday, as Iran and Hezbollah maintained their overnight bombardment of Israel. Loud blasts echoed through Tel Aviv, with Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service responding to 11 separate impact locations throughout the metropolitan region.

The missile launch occurred hours after Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear installations, following Friday threats to “escalate and expand” military operations against Tehran. Iran promised retaliation and attacked a Saudi Arabian base, injuring American service members and damaging aircraft.

Over two dozen U.S. military personnel have sustained injuries during Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base within the past week, according to two individuals briefed on the situation. Iran launched six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the facility during Friday’s assault, injuring at least 15 troops with five suffering serious wounds, according to sources who requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak publicly.

The installation, located approximately 96 kilometers (60 miles) from Saudi capital Riyadh, faced attacks twice earlier this week, including one strike that wounded 14 American troops, according to briefed sources. While operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force, U.S. forces also utilize the base.

Lebanese officials report over 1,100 fatalities since the war’s beginning. The Associated Press now characterizes Israel’s military operations in southern Lebanon as an invasion. Israel has deployed thousands of soldiers across the Lebanese border, with Israeli forces and Iran-supported Hezbollah militants engaging in ground combat for at least three weeks.

American stock markets continued declining Friday. The S&P 500 dropped 1.7%, completing its worst week since the Iran war started and marking its fifth consecutive losing week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.7%, while the Nasdaq composite declined 2.1%. Oil prices continued their upward surge.

With U.S. gasoline prices nearing $4 per gallon, Congressional members have advocated suspending the federal gas tax, currently set at 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline and 24.4 cents for diesel. President Donald Trump suggested states consider suspending their fuel taxes.

Saree stated the Houthis launched multiple ballistic missiles targeting what he called “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel. The assault followed Saree’s vague Friday statement indicating the rebels would enter the conflict.

The Houthis have controlled Yemen’s capital city, Sanaa, since 2014, and had previously remained outside the war while maintaining an unstable ceasefire with Saudi Arabia, which began military operations against the group in 2015 on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government.

Vessel attacks during the Israel-Hamas war disrupted Red Sea shipping, through which approximately $1 trillion in goods traveled annually before the conflict. The rebels previously launched drones targeting Israel.

In 2024, the Trump administration conducted strikes against the Houthis that concluded weeks later. The U.S.-led operation against the Houthi rebels, overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, became the Navy’s most intense sustained maritime battle since World War II.

Houthi rebels targeted over 100 merchant ships using missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors between November 2023 and January 2025. This would create additional disruption in global shipping, already struggling with Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow Persian Gulf entrance through which one-fifth of all oil and natural gas previously flowed.

Potential Houthi involvement in the war would also complicate the USS Gerald R. Ford’s deployment, as the aircraft carrier arrived at a Crete port Monday for repairs. Returning the carrier to the Red Sea could expose it to the same intense attack pattern experienced by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and the USS Harry S. Truman during the 2025 American campaign against the Houthis.

Israel concentrated Friday’s attacks on locations “in the heart of Tehran” where ballistic missiles and weapons are manufactured, the military announced. It reported striking missile launchers and storage facilities in Western Iran, while eastern Tehran witnesses described partial power outages following airstrikes.

Iranian state media reported Friday that two nuclear facilities came under attack. Israel, which had threatened to “escalate and expand” operations against Tehran, claimed responsibility, prompting Iran’s immediate retaliation threats.

“Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted, IRNA reported. The strikes caused no casualties and posed no contamination risk, officials stated. The Arak facility has remained non-operational since Israel’s June attack.

Yellowcake represents concentrated uranium after impurity removal from raw ore. Heavy water serves as a nuclear reactor moderator.

Israeli military officials later stated raw materials undergo enrichment processing at the Yazd plant, calling the strike a significant setback to Iran’s nuclear program.

Seyed Majid Moosavi, IRGC’s Aerospace Force commander, posted on X that employees of U.S. and Israeli-connected companies should evacuate their workplaces: “This time, the equation will no longer be ‘an eye for an eye,’ just wait.”

Late Friday, Israeli authorities reported Iran launched missiles at the country, killing a 52-year-old man in Tel Aviv. Sirens warned residents to seek shelter in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beer Sheba, and areas near the country’s main nuclear research center, which faced Iranian strikes injuring dozens last weekend.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry announced shooting down missiles and drones targeting Riyadh. In Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported two deaths.

Kuwait reported attacks on its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and the northern Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, currently under construction as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. China continues purchasing Iranian crude oil.

Speaking at a Miami event sponsored by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Trump reiterated his desire for the two countries to establish normal relations.

The president has spent years pressing the Middle East’s two largest powers on this issue as part of his Abraham Accords initiatives, stating the timing will be appropriate when Iranian hostilities cease.

“It’s now time,” he said. “We’ve now taken them out, and they are out bigly. We got to get into the Abraham Accords.”

Major obstacles persist, including Saudi Arabia’s requirement for a credible Palestinian state pathway before normalizing commercial and diplomatic relationships with Israel.

News of Iran attacks emerged after Trump claimed war-ending discussions were proceeding “very well” and that he had extended Iran’s deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran maintains it has not participated in any negotiations.

With stock markets declining and economic consequences extending beyond the Middle East, Trump faces mounting pressure to end Iran’s strait control.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington delivered a 15-point “action list” to Iran for a potential ceasefire, using Pakistan as an intermediary. The proposal suggests restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the strait.

Iran rejected the offer and submitted its own five-point proposal including reparations and sovereignty recognition over the waterway.

Trump has stated that if Iran doesn’t reopen the strait to all traffic by April 6, he will order Iran’s energy plants destroyed.

Diplomats from multiple countries including Pakistan and Turkey have attempted organizing direct meetings between U.S. and Iranian representatives. Separately, G7 foreign ministers meeting Friday in France formally requested immediate cessation of attacks against populations and infrastructure.

U.S. vessels moved closer to the region carrying approximately 2,500 Marines, and at least 1,000 82nd Airborne paratroopers trained for hostile territory landings to secure key positions and airfields have been deployed to the Middle East.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. “can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops.” Following the G7 meeting, Rubio explained the deployments ensure “maximum opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.”

Israel deployed the 162nd Division into southern Lebanon to support efforts protecting northern border towns from Hezbollah attacks and eliminating the militant organization, the military announced.

Nineteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon.

Officials report over 1,900 deaths in Iran. The U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran, including hospitals and homes of 180,000 people, sustained damage.

At least 13 American troops have been killed, with four deaths in the occupied West Bank and 20 in Gulf Arab states.

In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups joined the conflict, 80 security force members have died.

A breakthrough appeared as Tehran agreed to permit humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, accepting a U.N. request. Ali Bahreini, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said Iran agreed to “facilitate and expedite” such movement.

The crucial waterway typically handles one-fifth of global oil shipments and nearly one-third of worldwide fertilizer trade. While markets and governments have focused on blocked oil and natural gas supplies, restricted fertilizer ingredients and trade threaten farming and food security globally.

“This measure reflects Iran’s continued commitment to supporting humanitarian efforts and ensuring that essential aid reaches those in need without delay,” Bahreini posted on X. The U.N. previously announced a task force addressing the war’s ripple effects on aid delivery.