War intensifies as Houthis claim first strike from Yemen
Israel said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel early Saturday, marking the first time Israel had said it faced fire from Yemen since the broader regional war escalated. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the Houthis’ military spokesman, in a development that Israeli officials and regional observers said could alter the pattern of strikes affecting maritime traffic.
Israel said sirens went off around Beer Sheba and the area near the country’s main nuclear research center, the third time alarms sounded overnight Friday into Saturday as Iran and Hezbollah continued to fire on Israel. The AP reported that the sequence of alerts and strikes was part of a wider escalation in the conflict that has involved multiple theaters and shifting targets.
The Houthis said the attack involved ballistic missiles targeting what their spokesman described as “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel, a claim issued by Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree in a statement carried on the rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite television. Saree’s comments also pointed to a broader message from the group, following a vague Friday statement that he said signaled the Houthis would join the war after having largely stayed out despite years of conflict in Yemen.
Until now, the Houlish presence had mainly been defined by their hold on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 and by an uneasy ceasefire with Saudi Arabia that has existed for years. The Houthis’ earlier participation in the wider regional conflict has included attacks on vessels during the Israel-Hamas war, disrupting shipping through the Red Sea corridor and leading to a dangerous detour for international traffic.
Israeli and U.S. military planning has also been shaped by the possibility of a renewed Houthi role in Red Sea attacks. The AP reported that potential Houthi involvement could complicate repairs for the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which went to port in Crete on Monday, with the carrier’s return to the Red Sea potentially drawing it into the high-tempo attacks seen in earlier U.S. campaigns against the Houthis.
The Yemen claim came after a separate escalation in strikes involving Iran. Israel said it struck Iran’s nuclear facilities hours after threatening to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran on Friday. Iran later warned of retaliation, and Iranian state media and officials said multiple sites were targeted, with Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization and other officials saying the strikes did not cause casualties and posed no risk of contamination, according to the AP report.
In parallel, the AP reported that the United States and other countries pressed for a diplomatic off-ramp. Word of the attacks on Iran came after Donald Trump said he was dealing with talks ending the war “very well” and that he had given Tehran more time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though Iran said it has not engaged in negotiations.
Still, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said Iran agreed to “facilitate and expedite” humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Bahreini described the measure as reflecting Iran’s continued commitment to helping humanitarian efforts and ensuring essential aid reaches those in need without delay, according to his remarks on X, after the U.N. had announced a task force to address the humanitarian ripple effects of the wider war.
U.S. and regional officials also continued to point to the strain on civilian infrastructure and the risks of further escalation. The AP reported that the International Organization for Migration said 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran—including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people—were damaged, while Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary General Jan Egeland warned that if the fighting continued, millions could be forced to flee across borders and add pressure to an already overstretched region.
As the conflict expanded across multiple fronts, the AP reported that the death toll climbed in Lebanon and Iran, while casualties were also reported in Israel, including 52-year-old man killed in Tel Aviv after late Friday Israeli authorities said Iran launched missiles that killed him and injured dozens. In Lebanon, the Health Ministry said two people were killed, and other officials said more deaths and injuries continued to be reported.
Trump renews push for Saudi ties as fighting continues
As diplomatic efforts and military deployments unfolded alongside the strike cycle, Trump also renewed his call for normalized Israeli-Saudi relations. Speaking in Miami at an event sponsored by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, he said it was “now time” to move toward the Abraham Accords, while noting that Saudi Arabia has insisted there must be a credible path to a Palestinian state before it normalizes commercial and diplomatic ties with Israel.
U.S. officials said Washington was pursuing a ceasefire approach while also preparing for contingencies. The AP reported that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington delivered a 15-point “action list” to Iran for a possible ceasefire, using Pakistan as an intermediary, and that the list proposed restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the strait. Iran rejected the offer and presented its own proposal, the AP said, and Trump has said he would order the destruction of Iran’s energy plants if Iran does not reopen the strait to all traffic by April 6.