Yemen affirms involvement in the Israel-Gaza war

The Houthis declared their intention to use drone and missile strikes to assist the Palestinians.

The Houthi government in Sanaa declared on Tuesday that it will keep launching missiles and drones against Israel in support of the Palestinian cause. The air defences of Saudi Arabia were alerted after at least one missile passed over the country.

The spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, stated, “Our Armed Forces launched a large batch of ballistic and cruise missiles and a large number of drones at various targets of the Israeli enemy in the occupied territories.”

The Houthi military “will continue to carry out more qualitative strikes with missiles and drones until the Israeli aggression stops,” Saree added, adding that Tuesday’s launch was “the third operation in support of our oppressed brethren in Palestine.”

According to the spokesperson, Yemen launched the effort “to provide relief to our oppressed people in Gaza and in response to the demands of our Yemeni people and the demands of free peoples, and out of a sense of religious, moral, humanitarian, and national responsibility.”

““The Palestinian people have the full right to self-defense in pursuit of their full legitimate rights,” Saree continued. “Our Yemeni people’s position towards the Palestinian issue is firm and principled.”

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After weeks of artillery and airstrikes, the Israeli military has now sent ground forces into Gaza to continue its assault against Hamas, the Palestinian militant organisation in charge of the October 7 incursion into Israeli settlements nearby.

The impact of the missile and drone strike on Tuesday remained unclear. There were no injuries or damage reported from at least one missile that crashed in Jordan’s deserts.

But when the missiles passed over Saudi Arabia for the first time, the nation triggered its air defences. Since 2015, the kingdom has been at war with the Houthis, claiming that the Shia community is being used as a pawn by Iran. Following an agreement between Riyadh and Tehran mediated by China, the two sides appeared prepared to reconcile this spring.

The US Navy declared earlier this month that it had shot down multiple drones or missiles fired towards Israel over the Red Sea with its ships. Still, the Pentagon did not directly link these to Yemen.