\n<\/p>\n
The Houthis held their fire for the first four weeks of the war, despite their affiliation with and backing from Iran.<\/p>\n
Now, the movement that still holds the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and the north and other areas of the country, has made its first move, firing missiles towards Israel.<\/p>\n
The Houthis say they were targeting “sensitive Israeli military sites”.<\/p>\n
It is true that the threat the Houthis pose to Israel through its missile fire is far less than that of Iran.<\/p>\n
The group fired towards Israel many times in support of Hamas after war erupted in Gaza, following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.<\/p>\n
But those attacks – which had come to an end many months ago – did little real damage to Israel.<\/p>\n
Where the Houthis pose a much bigger threat is off the coast of Yemen.<\/p>\n
As part of their support for Hamas, the group targeted shipping coming through the Bab al-Mandab strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa.<\/p>\n
Their action then endangered that key commercial maritime route.<\/p>\n
Were they to do so again, it would be another big blow to the global economy.<\/p>\n
Coupled with Iran’s near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, two of the main strategic waterways in the world for trade and energy supplies could potentially be cut off.<\/p>\n
The Houthis could also target energy and military infrastructure in its Gulf Arab neighbours, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – as it has done before.<\/p>\n
When the Houthis carried out such actions before, they faced intense air strikes from the US and Israel, aimed at its leadership and military capacity.<\/p>\n
But the Houthis appear to have weathered that. The question now is how far the movement is prepared to go.<\/p>\n
When it carried out attacks in support of Hamas and the Palestinians, it received some domestic and regional approbation.<\/p>\n
Doing so for Iran may be a different matter.<\/p>\n
There is also the issue of Yemen itself, which has been relatively calm for some time after years of turbulence and war.<\/p>\n
Deepening military involvement by the Houthis in the war between the US, Israel and Iran could trigger a new outbreak in that internal conflict.<\/p>\n
There is little doubt that, if the Houthis do continue – and intensify their attacks – it will mark a new escalation and widening of the war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n