In a significant escalation, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, have fired missiles at Israel for the first time since the conflict with Iran erupted. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed confidence that military operations could be wrapped up within a few weeks.

The Houthis’ involvement threatens to widen and extend a conflict now in its fifth week. They have vowed to continue their attacks until what they describe as aggression on all fronts ceases. In response, Israel reported intercepting a missile launched from Yemen.

This war, which began with joint U.S. and Israeli assaults on Iran on February 28, has rapidly spread throughout the Middle East. The hostilities have claimed thousands of lives, severely disrupted energy supplies, and stoked global economic concerns with fears of rising inflation.

On Friday, the Houthis declared their readiness to respond if what they referred to as the escalation against Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” persisted in the ongoing conflict.

Demonstrating their capability to strike distant targets and disrupt strategic shipping routes, the Houthis have previously supported Hamas in Gaza following the events of October 7, 2023, impacting regions around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea.

Should the Houthis decide to open another front, the Bab al-Mandab Strait near Yemen stands as a potential target. This vital maritime passage directs sea traffic toward the Suez Canal and could become a focal point after Iran’s closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking on Friday before the Houthi attack, Rubio said Washington was “on or ahead of schedule” and expects to conclude military operations in “weeks, not months”.

He also told Group of Seven counterparts in France that European and Asian countries which benefit from trade through the Strait of Hormuz — a conduit for a fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies — should contribute to efforts to secure free passage.

Trump questions why US would ‘be there’ for NATO

The war has driven a wedge between the US and its traditional allies, who have stayed on the sidelines. President Donald Trump said this lack of support had implications for NATO, the West’s most important alliance.

“We would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be, do we?” Trump told an investment forum in Miami on Friday. “Why would we be there for them if they’re not there for us? They weren’t there for us.”

The charter underlying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has long been led by the US, says an attack on one member is an attack on all, requiring them to support each other.

Rubio said the US could achieve its aims without ground troops but acknowledged it was deploying some to the region “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust the contingencies, should they emerge”.

Washington has dispatched two contingents of thousands of Marines to the region, the first of which is due to arrive in coming days on a huge amphibious assault ship. The Pentagon is also expected to deploy thousands of elite airborne soldiers.

The deployments have raised concerns that the war could turn into a prolonged ground battle.

More strikes while Trump speaks of negotiations

The conflict has led to worldwide concerns over fuel shortages and soaring prices.

For now, Energy minister Chris Bowen has said Australia’s supply looks secure, with 39 days of petrol (1.6 billion litres), 30 days of diesel (2.7 billion litres), and 30 days of jet fuel. On Saturday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the federal government will take on the financial risk of importing additional fuel and fertiliser.

In the US, where Trump is politically vulnerable to rising fuel prices, he has appeared eager to wind down the unpopular war. He emphasised this week what he called productive negotiations with Iran aimed at reaching a diplomatic end to the conflict.

Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have been relaying messages between the warring sides, though Tehran has repeatedly asserted that there have been no such negotiations with Washington.

Two people familiar with the back-channel efforts expressed doubt that direct talks would take place anytime soon.

On Thursday, Trump extended a deadline by 10 days for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks against power stations and other energy infrastructure. While those strikes were on hold, the US and Israel have continued to bomb Iran.

Iran vows ‘heavy price’ for plant strikes

Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel overnight, killing one and causing several impacts in the Tel Aviv area from cluster munitions and debris from intercepted missiles.

An Iranian attack on an air base in Saudi Arabia wounded 12 US military personnel, two seriously, a US official told Reuters on Friday, as drones and missiles continued to strike around the Gulf.

More than 300 American troops have been wounded since the start of the war on February 28, US Central Command said.

A US official who asked not to be identified told AFP that 10 US soldiers remained seriously wounded.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain reported missile attacks early on Saturday, with five people injured and fires reported after a missile was intercepted near Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port, one of the Gulf’s main deepwater container ports.

At least five people were killed and seven injured after a US-Israeli attack on a residential unit in Iran’s northwestern city of Zanjan, Iranian media reported early on Saturday. The Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran was also struck, media reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X that Israel, in coordination with the US, had also hit two steel factories and a power plant. “Attack contradicts POTUS extended deadline for diplomacy. Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes,” Araqchi said on Friday, using an acronym for president of the United States.

Meanwhile Israel’s military struck Beirut’s southern suburbs again on Friday, saying it was targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

In south Lebanon, Hezbollah said its fighters had clashed with “Israeli enemy army forces… with light and medium weapons”.

Syrian state television reported explosions heard above the capital Damascus from Israeli intercepts of the Iranian missiles.

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