Middle East
A member of Houthi-affiliated security forces brandishes a rifle as demonstrators chant during a protest called for by the rebel Houthi movement in Sanaa on March 17, 2025. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on Sunday said they targeted Israel in coordination with Iran, the first time an Iran-backed group has publicly announced a joint operation with Tehran.
“The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets in the occupied area of Yaffa using a number of Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missiles at various times over the past 24 hours,” the Houthis said in a statement.
“This operation was coordinated with the operations carried out by the Iranian army against the criminal Israeli enemy,” the statement added, calling the operation “successful.”
Formally known as the Ansarullah Movement, Houthis are a central part of the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance." They control large swathes of territory in Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.
They have also launched attacks against Israel under the pretext of supporting the Palestinians in Gaza, especially after the Israel-Gaza war broke out in October 2023.
Israel also frequently strikes Houthi targets in Yemen.
“Take the initiative to stop the Israeli crimes against your people in Gaza, for what befalls them today will befall you tomorrow,” the group warned.
The US has also intensified its attacks against the Yemeni group this year, however, US President Donald Trump ended the offensive after the Houthis decided to stop attacking US ships in the Red Sea.
Tel Aviv and Tehran have traded salvos for three days after Israel launched its biggest-ever attack on Iran on Friday.
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