Yemen's Houthis Launch First Missile Attack on Israel Since Iran War Began

Mar 28, 2026

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched their first missile attack on Israel since the month-old US-Israeli war against Iran began, with Israel intercepting the missile on Saturday. The Houthis justified their attack as retaliation for continued strikes on infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestinian territories, vowing operations would continue until aggression ends. The attack came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio set a timeline of weeks, not months, for concluding military operations against Iran, even as Israel was hitting targets across Iran's capital. The Houthi entry threatens to expand the regional conflict beyond the US-Israel-Iran triangle and potentially disrupt global shipping.

Houthi Missile Attack on Israel

▪Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched an attack on Israel for the first time since the outbreak of the Israel-US war on Iran.
▪Israel identified a missile launched from Yemen on Saturday.
▪The Houthis stated their operations would continue until the aggression on all fronts ends.
▪The Houthis stated their attack came after continued targeting of infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

US Timeline for Concluding Iran Military Operations

▪Marco Rubio said the US expected to conclude military operations within weeks, not months.
▪Marco Rubio set a new timeline for the Iran conflict hours before the Houthi missile attack on Israel.

Broader Regional Conflict and Targeting

▪The Houthis' entry to the conflict marked their first involvement since the Israel-US war on Iran began.

Perspective of Houthis

▪The Houthis position themselves as defenders responding to aggression rather than aggressors expanding the conflict.
▪The Houthis view their operations as justified retaliation for attacks on infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestinian territories.

Perspective of United States

▪The Houthi missile launch occurred hours after Marco Rubio set expectations for a quick conclusion to military operations.
▪Marco Rubio's timeline of weeks rather than months suggests the US views the Iran military operations as a short-term campaign.