Houthis' Missiles Target Israel, Escalating Middle East Conflict

0:00The war-pitting America and Israel against Iran backed forces just opened a fresh front. On Saturday morning local time, Yemen's office fired their first ballistic missiles at Israel since the fighting started late February. This move piles on top of clashes with Iran directly and Hezbollah up in Lebanon, forcing the U.S. and Israel to spread their defenses even thinner, across multiple spots. The real kicker here is the Houthis grip on the Bob El Mandeb straight that narrow choke point off Yemen linking the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea, and beyond to Europe, vital for cargo ships, oil tankers, and Saudi exports. They've honed this tactic already, hitting over 100 vessels with missiles and drones during the Gaza conflict, even sinking two cargo ships to disrupt. Global trade, if they ramp up strikes on Gulf countries hosting U.S. bases, expect Arab states to hit back hard, sucking the whole region into deeper chaos, and testing claims the war ends in weeks.

1:00I'm Cory with the story, and you've been listening to Sydney News today, AI-powered local news.