The Houthis join Iran’s attacks on Israel

The Houthis are the only Iranian proxy to openly attack Israel in solidarity with Iran during the latter two countries’ most recent conflict. The Yemeni terrorist group has fired ballistic missiles at Israel on two confirmed occasions since Operation Rising Lion, Israel’s campaign to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, began on June 13.

On June 13, the Houthis launched a missile at Israel that fell near Hebron. The resulting explosion injured five Palestinians, including three children. Another Houthi missile fired on June 16 fell outside of Israel’s territory.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on June 15 that the Houthis targeted “the occupied Jaffa area with a number of Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missiles at different times over the past 24 hours. This operation was coordinated with the operations carried out by the Iranian army and the Revolutionary Guard against the criminal Israeli enemy.”

The Houthis had launched over 50 missiles and drones at Israel between the end of the ceasefire in Gaza in March 2025 and the start of Operation Rising Lion.

Israel has struck over 1,100 targets in Iran during its operation, and Iran has responded by launching hundreds of missiles at civilian centers and military targets in Israel. However, thus far, the Houthis’ direct action is unique among Iran’s proxies in the Tehran-led “Axis of Resistance.” Hezbollah is considered unlikely to join the fight, Hamas is engaged in a war for survival and in no position to contribute, and Iraqi militias, so far, are relying primarily on rhetoric and limited but unclaimed actions to avoid American reprisals.

Drones have been launched at five US bases in Iraq and Syria since the beginning of Operation Rising Lion. No group has claimed responsibility, but Iran-backed groups in Iraq likely launched these attacks. However, instead of claiming military action, Iraqi militias have largely resorted to condemnations of Israel and the United States and threats against the US if it enters Israel’s war against Iran.

The Israeli response to Houthi attacks

Israeli jets struck a Houthi target in Sanaa on the night of June 14. Israeli officials said that the strike targeted the head of the Houthis’ General Staff, Mohammad al Ghamari, according to The Times of Israel. Ghamari was appointed to his position as the most senior military commander in 2016. Israel has not announced the outcome of the airstrike.

Ghamari was sanctioned by the United States in 2021 under Executive Order 13611, which provides the US government the authority to sanction people “threatening the peace, security, or stability of Yemen.” The US Treasury stated that Ghamari “is responsible for orchestrating attacks by Houthi forces impacting Yemeni civilians.”

Treasury’s statement also noted Ghamari had “taken charge of the large-scale Houthi offensive against Yemeni government-held territory in Marib province. Humanitarians have warned that the Marib offensive is contributing to a tipping point in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, as it puts approximately one million already vulnerable internally displaced people (IDP) at risk.” In addition, Treasury accused him of “overseeing Houthi military operations that have destroyed civilian infrastructure and Yemen’s neighbors, specifically Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”

Ghamari has repeatedly traveled to Lebanon to train with Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and has traveled to Tehran for additional training. Connections to the IRGC and Hezbollah are important for Houthi leaders seeking to climb the ranks. Ghamari was one of the most influential leaders in the Saada wars, a series of guerrilla wars the Houthis waged against the Yemeni government from 2004-2010. He also participated in the 2014 takeover of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.

Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focusing on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the Houthis.