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In Brief
- One month into the war, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis say they may also be ready to intervene militarily.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected to conclude military operations within weeks.
The Iran-affiliated Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched missiles targeting Israel for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict involving Iran. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that the United States anticipates wrapping up its military engagements within a few weeks.
The Houthis, whose actions could potentially widen and extend the conflict now in its fifth week, have declared they will persist with their operations until what they describe as aggression on all fronts ceases. In response, Israel announced that it successfully intercepted a missile originating from Yemen.
The conflict began with U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran on February 28 and has since spread throughout the Middle East. The hostilities have resulted in thousands of casualties and have significantly disrupted energy supplies, impacting the global economy and stoking fears of inflation.
The Houthis announced on Friday their readiness to retaliate if the perceived escalation against Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” continues.
Historically, the group has demonstrated its capability to target locations far beyond Yemen’s borders and disrupt key shipping routes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea. This was notably evident in their support for Hamas in Gaza following the events of October 7, 2023.
If the Houthis open a new front in the conflict, one obvious target would be the Bab al-Mandab Strait off the coast of Yemen, a key shipping choke point that controls sea traffic towards the Suez Canal, after Iran effectively shut the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking on Friday before the Houthi attack, Rubio said Washington was “on or ahead of schedule” and expects to conclude military operations in “weeks, not months”.
He also told Group of Seven counterparts in France that European and Asian countries which benefit from trade through the Strait of Hormuz — a conduit for a fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies — should contribute to efforts to secure free passage.
Trump questions why US would ‘be there’ for NATO
The war has driven a wedge between the US and its traditional allies, who have stayed on the sidelines. President Donald Trump said this lack of support had implications for NATO, the West’s most important alliance.
“We would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be, do we?” Trump told an investment forum in Miami on Friday. “Why would we be there for them if they’re not there for us? They weren’t there for us.”
The charter underlying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has long been led by the US, says an attack on one member is an attack on all, requiring them to support each other.
Rubio said the US could achieve its aims without ground troops but acknowledged it was deploying some to the region “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust the contingencies, should they emerge”.
Washington has dispatched two contingents of thousands of Marines to the region, the first of which is due to arrive in coming days on a huge amphibious assault ship. The Pentagon is also expected to deploy thousands of elite airborne soldiers.
The deployments have raised concerns that the war could turn into a prolonged ground battle.
More strikes while Trump speaks of negotiations
The conflict has led to worldwide concerns over fuel shortages and soaring prices.
For now, Energy minister Chris Bowen has said Australia’s supply looks secure, with 39 days of petrol (1.6 billion litres), 30 days of diesel (2.7 billion litres), and 30 days of jet fuel. On Saturday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the federal government will take on the financial risk of importing additional fuel and fertiliser.
In the US, where Trump is politically vulnerable to rising fuel prices, he has appeared eager to wind down the unpopular war. He emphasised this week what he called productive negotiations with Iran aimed at reaching a diplomatic end to the conflict.
Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have been relaying messages between the warring sides, though Tehran has repeatedly asserted that there have been no such negotiations with Washington.
Two people familiar with the back-channel efforts expressed doubt that direct talks would take place anytime soon.
On Thursday, Trump extended a deadline by 10 days for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks against power stations and other energy infrastructure. While those strikes were on hold, the US and Israel have continued to bomb Iran.
Iran vows ‘heavy price’ for plant strikes
Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel overnight, killing one and causing several impacts in the Tel Aviv area from cluster munitions and debris from intercepted missiles.
An Iranian attack on an air base in Saudi Arabia wounded 12 US military personnel, two seriously, a US official told Reuters on Friday, as drones and missiles continued to strike around the Gulf.
More than 300 American troops have been wounded since the start of the war on February 28, US Central Command said.
A US official who asked not to be identified told AFP that 10 US soldiers remained seriously wounded.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain reported missile attacks early on Saturday, with five people injured and fires reported after a missile was intercepted near Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port, one of the Gulf’s main deepwater container ports.
At least five people were killed and seven injured after a US-Israeli attack on a residential unit in Iran’s northwestern city of Zanjan, Iranian media reported early on Saturday. The Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran was also struck, media reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X that Israel, in coordination with the US, had also hit two steel factories and a power plant. “Attack contradicts POTUS extended deadline for diplomacy. Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes,” Araqchi said on Friday, using an acronym for president of the United States.
Meanwhile Israel’s military struck Beirut’s southern suburbs again on Friday, saying it was targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
In south Lebanon, Hezbollah said its fighters had clashed with “Israeli enemy army forces… with light and medium weapons”.
Syrian state television reported explosions heard above the capital Damascus from Israeli intercepts of the Iranian missiles.
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