Iran-backed Houthis open third front against Israel as Tehran seeks leverage ahead of talks

29 Mar 2026 By foxnews

The Iranian regime-backed Houthi movement launched two missiles at Israel Saturday, creating a third front for the Jewish state in its current war against the Islamic Republic and its other terror proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.

The Houthis said they "targeted sensitive Israeli military sites" with a "barrage of ballistic missiles." The IDF, according to YNET, said it intercepted both a cruise and ballistic missile fired by the Houthis Saturday morning.

Nadwa Al-Dawsari, an expert on Yemen and an associate fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital, "This is now fundamentally about the survival of the Iranian regime. The intervention of the Houthis and other Axis members is determined by the IRGC-run Axis of Resistance Operations Room.

"The Houthis have already demonstrated their ability to withstand intense U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. For both Iran and the Houthis, 'winning' is defined by survival, not decisive victory.

IRAN CONTINUES FIRING MISSILES, DRONES AT NEIGHBORING STATES, WITH MULTIPLE INTERCEPTIONS REPORTED

"The strategy is to prolong the conflict and raise the cost. The Houthis are uniquely positioned to do that, given their ability to disrupt critical maritime routes and open additional pressure fronts. If escalation continues, they will likely resume Red Sea attacks and could expand pressure toward KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]."

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Houthis were engaged in a war before the Biden administration reportedly forced the Saudi government to stop its military strikes on the Houthis. Biden had also delisted the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization only for the Trump administration to swiftly reimpose the terror designation on the Houthis in the early days of his second term.

Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst, told Fox News Digital, "The Houthis appear to be acting under heavy pressure from Tehran. Iran wanted them involved two weeks ago, and this attack looks more symbolic than strategic. It is part of Tehran's effort to improve its position in negotiations with the U.S. by showing that it still has cards to play beyond Hormuz.

"The Houthis do not control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but they can still disrupt shipping in the Red Sea. At the same time, they seem to view Iran as a dead horse and are cautious about betting too heavily on it."

THE FUTURE OF WAR? US-ISRAEL BLITZ ON IRAN UNVEILS NEXT-GEN ALLIED COMBAT

The Houthis are fanatically anti-American and anti-Israel. The official slogan of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) is, "Allah is Greater. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam."

The Houthis control most of northwest Yemen. They expelled the internationally recognized government from the capital, Sanaa, in 2015.

The Houthis joined Hamas in its war against Israel in mid-October 2023, after the terrorist movement in Gaza invaded Israel and murdered over 1,200 people, including more than 40 Americans. A Houthi drone killed an Israeli civilian in Tel Aviv in 2024.

Michael Szanto, an international relations expert, told Fox News Digital, "Iran has already been badly hit by the United States and Israel, and all supply routes between Iran and Yemen will be cut off by U.S. forces. This means that Yemen will lack the supply lines to maintain a sustained offensive against Israel, though it still likely has large stockpile of missiles and drones.

"The Houthis are making a major strategic mistake by once again provoking Israel, which will try to finish off the terrorist threat in Yemen. The Houthis have proven themselves to also be a menace to the Saudis, the Emiratis, the U.S. and the world."

Saturday's attack happened hours before a spokesman for the terrorist group threatened that its "fingers were on the trigger."