Houthi rebels in Yemen have confirmed they launched a missile at Israel, marking the Iran-backed group’s first involvement in the war.
Israel said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It marks the first time the country, which is widely aligned with Iran, has become involved in the conflict.
The Houthis – who control much of Yemen – warned yesterday that they may get involved in the war.
They said they had their “fingers on the trigger” and were ready for “direct military intervention” if any new alliances joined the US and Israel in the conflict.
The Houthis – officially known as “Supports of God” or “Ansar Allah” in Arabic – are a group of Shia Islamist rebels based in western Yemen.
The group formed in the 1990s as a movement to promote the rights of Zaidi Shias and the Houthi tribe, from which the group gets its name.
It opposes US and Israeli influence in the Middle East – with its slogan containing the words “death to America,” “death to Israel” and a “curse upon the Jews.”
