The Yemen-based Houthi militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on Israel on Saturday, marking the Iran-backed group’s entry into the broader conflict in the Middle East that could further disrupt the region’s vital shipping lanes.
The Houthis “have launched their first military operation with a batch of ballistic missiles that targeted Israel’s sensitive military targets,” the group’s armed forces said on Telegram on Saturday, citing “continued military escalation” against Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.
“This operation coincides with the heroic operations carried out by brothers, fighters in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the operation successfully achieved its goals,” the Iranian proxy group said.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed a missile launch from Yemen toward Israel, and said air defense systems were working to intercept the threat. Later it gave complete freedom to provide shelter to the citizens.
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While the direct military impact of such attacks may be limited, the Houthis, Tehran’s proxy militia based in Yemen, have the potential to cause widespread disruption, particularly in the Red Sea, a vital artery for global trade.
Global shipping and oil markets are already in turmoil after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli attack, which the International Energy Agency described as the worst disruption in oil market history.
The Red Sea is also an important corridor for global commerce, especially for trade between Europe and Asia. About a tenth of the world’s seaborne oil shipments typically pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow chokepoint just 16 miles wide separating the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa. Saudi Arabia has further increased oil shipments through the Red Sea route amid the Hormuz standoff.
In recent years, the Houthis have significantly reduced traffic through the waterway by repeatedly attacking ships.
In response to Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip, the group began targeting ships on the route in October 2023. Shipping volumes in the Red Sea have declined, with traffic through the Suez Canal, which connects it to the Mediterranean, down 70% by mid-2024, according to the annual review of the United Nations Trade and Development. Meanwhile, oil flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait halved, according to an analysis by the US Energy Information Administration.
Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told NBC News that the Houthis were successful in “obstructing, disrupting and blocking the Red Sea” during Israel’s war in Gaza.
He said, “The American-Israeli war in Iran is really no longer a limited war. It is a completely regional conflict.” “I am concerned that this is no longer just a military conflict, it is now an economic war that involves supply chains, the global energy system, its waterways.”
Through Saturday’s attacks, “the Houthis have let the Americans and Israelis know what’s going to happen next,” he said.
Last year, President Donald Trump launched a weeks-long intensive bombing campaign against the Houthis that cost $1 billion before declaring a ceasefire, only for the group to sink two more ships later that year.
According to maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s List, oil tankers and cargo ships were “gradually withdrawing” from the Red Sea as recently as December.
Iran has also indicated that the waterway could become a target. This week it said the 1,400-mile gateway dividing Africa and Asia would be closed by the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Because of Ford’s presence there was fair play for counter-attacks.
According to the semi-official Fars News Agency, any facility supporting the carrier group “will be considered a potential target by Iran’s armed forces”.
