Yemen\u2019s Houthi group has threatened \u201cgradual escalation\u201d after claiming a fourth attack on Israel, about a week after entering the war alongside Iran as part of the Tehran-led \u201caxis of resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The move comes as Yemen\u2019s internationally recognized government steps up rhetoric, saying a decisive battle to retake the state from Houthi control is nearing. Israel, for its part, said it is consulting Washington on how to respond to the Houthi attacks, despite their limited impact compared with sustained fire from Iran and Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
In a televised statement late Thursday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched \u201ca salvo of ballistic missiles\u201d at \u201cvital Israeli targets in the occupied Jaffa area.\u201d He claimed the operation was carried out in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah and had \u201csuccessfully achieved its objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Houthis said their intervention in what they described as a \u201cmajor and exceptional battle\u201d would be incremental, adding they would adjust their actions depending on \u201cthe enemy\u2019s escalation or de-escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest strike marks the fourth since the group announced direct involvement in the regional confrontation, underscoring growing coordination among Iran-backed actors, including Hezbollah and armed Iraqi factions.<\/p>\n
Limited effect<\/p>\n
The Houthis had claimed a third attack a day earlier. The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen \u201cwithout casualties or damage,\u201d adding early detection allowed it to neutralize the threat.<\/p>\n
Analysts say such attacks are unlikely to do more than stretch Israel\u2019s air defenses, already under pressure from multiple fronts, including Iran and Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
In his first appearance since announcing the escalation, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said the group had shifted from political and media backing of Iran to \u201cdirect operational engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n
He framed the attacks as part of \u201cjoint operations of the axis of resistance,\u201d describing the confrontation as \u201ca duty that transcends geographical borders.\u201d He also defended joining the war, saying neutrality \u201cis not an option,\u201d despite growing concern inside Yemen over the economic and security risks.<\/p>\n
Al-Houthi urged supporters to maintain weekly pro-Iran rallies and step up mobilization, including sending school students to summer camps\u2014long used by the group for recruitment.<\/p>\n
Government signals offensive<\/p>\n
Tareq Saleh, a member of Yemen\u2019s Presidential Leadership Council, said \u201cthe battle to end the Houthi coup is approaching,\u201d adding national forces would act \u201cas one team.\u201d<\/p>\n
State media reported his remarks during a visit to forces on Yemen\u2019s west coast, where he praised troops as \u201ca safety valve for the republic,\u201d signaling confidence in their ability to regain the initiative.<\/p>\n
Saleh also pointed to the regional dimension, saying Iranian actions against Gulf states and Jordan show Tehran\u2019s project is \u201cdestructive\u201d and \u201chas never truly been directed at Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rejecting Houthi claims, he said the group \u201cpretends to confront Israel\u201d while using that narrative to justify violence against Yemenis, noting the conflict with the Houthis dates back to 2004, well before current regional tensions.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yemen\u2019s Houthi group has threatened \u201cgradual escalation\u201d after claiming a fourth attack on Israel, about a week after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":374518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-374517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}