SANAA, Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi group said it targeted sensitive sites in southern Israel with ballistic missiles in a joint operation with Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah on Wednesday, according to its military spokesperson.

The group announced the attack in a televised statement delivered by spokesperson Yahya Saree.

“Our forces carried out a third military operation targeting sensitive sites of the Israeli enemy in southern occupied Palestine using a salvo of ballistic missiles,” Saree said.

The attack was conducted “in coordination with our brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” and had “successfully achieved its objectives,” he said, without providing further details.

The escalation followed a warning from the Houthis late Friday of possible “direct military intervention” if new alliances join the US and Israel against Iran, or if the Red Sea is used for operations targeting Tehran.

Previously, the Yemeni group had launched missile and drone attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping lanes in response to Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, where more than 72,000 people have been killed since October 2023.

The US and Israel have continued airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while Iran has responded with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military bases, causing casualties, infrastructure damage, and disruption to global markets and aviation.

* Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul.