Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have confirmed launching a missile attack on Israel for the first time since the outbreak of the Israel-US war on Iran. The attack came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected to conclude military operations within 'weeks, not months'.
The Houthis said the attack followed continued targeting of infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, and that their operations would continue until the 'aggression' on all fronts ends. Houthi involvement risks broadening the conflict, given their ability to strike targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea.
US media reported an Iranian attack on the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia wounded at least 12 American soldiers, two seriously. The attack included at least one missile and several drones, and several aerial refuelling planes also suffered damage. US officials have given conflicting signals about how long they anticipate continuing their joint offensive with Israel against Iran.
Iran remains defiant, denying Donald Trump's claims that talks are 'going well'. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday: 'We think there will be meetings this week.' Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had turned back three ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is usually shipped.
Rubio said ensuring the strait remained open to shipping was likely to pose an 'immediate challenge' even after the US accomplished its military objectives in Iran. He said the UK was taking a 'prominent role' in efforts to reopen the strait.
