Houthis Enter Iran-Israel War: First Ballistic Missile Attack on Israel Since November 2025

Yemen's Houthi movement launched its first ballistic missile attack on Israel since freezing cross-border operations in November 2025, marking a major new escalation in the ongoing Iran war. The Yemeni Armed Forces stated they 'carried out the first military operation using a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting sensitive Israeli military sites in southern occupied Palestine.' Sirens sounded across Beersheba and surrounding Negev communities; air defense systems were activated. No casualties from the Houthi attack were immediately reported. The group had earlier shown restraint after the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire, conditioning resumption of attacks on broader regional escalation — Saturday's launch represented a U-turn from that posture. A Houthi spokesman declared: 'Our operations will continue until all our declared objectives are realised... and until Israeli aggression halts on all the resisting fronts.' Analysts warned the entry raised risks of Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab disruption. Separately, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the Jerusalem-area town of Eshtaol — evading air defense interception — injuring at least 11 people and causing extensive property damage in a 150-meter radius; the IAF launched an investigation into the defensive failure.