 "Israel says missile launched from Yemen first time since war began")
The Israeli military on Saturday said that it had identified a missile launched from Yemen, making it the first time in the one-month-long war that the country has tried to strike Israel.
The army said that it is working to intercept the missile. This comes after US Secretary Marco Rubio said that the Iran war could end in “weeks”.
‘Fingers on trigger’
While the war seems to be expanding, Yemen’s Houthis, the Shiite Islamic group that backs Tehran, have often said that they would join the war if the US and Israel continue to attack Iran.
On Friday, the group said, “We confirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention” if any new alliances join Washington and Israel against Iran and its allies, or if the Red Sea is used for “hostile operations” against Iran.
Iran’s Shiite allies in Lebanon and Iraq have already joined the war in the region triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Tehran. The Houthis had not until now announced any direct entry into the war, despite their military capabilities and geographic position overlooking the Red Sea.
After the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the war in Gaza, the Houthis began attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, saying they were acting in support of Palestinians.
‘No ground troops needed’
Meanwhile, US State Secretary Marco Rubio has said that the country can achieve its goals in Iran “without any ground troops.”
“We’re going to destroy their navy, we are going to destroy their air force, and we are going to significantly destroy their missile launchers so they can never hide behind these things to get a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said.
He added, “We are achieving all of those objectives, we are ahead of schedule on most of them, and we can achieve them without any ground troops, without any.”
Quick Reads
View AllHis comments came as the US deployed 1,000 extra service members in the region. When asked about this development, Rubio said, “Trump “has to be prepared for multiple contingencies.”
Trump has mixed harsh threats against Iran with claims that Tehran is ready to agree a deal and end the war in coming weeks – and he stuck to that stance as he arrived in Miami.
With inputs from agencies
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