Images released by the Houthi group in Yemen show projectiles fired during a military exercise near Sanaa. Houthi Media Office/Disclosure/Portal 10/30/23
In a visible escalation of fighting following Israel’s land invasion of Gaza, the conflict is showing signs of impending spread across the region, with an increase in the tone of threats from extremist groups and with the Houthi’s first declaration of war against Israel, in Yemen.
The act was followed within a few hours by the firing of a longrange missile at the Israeli city of Eilat which would have been intercepted 1,700 km away. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack and, among other things, distributed a video of the shooting.
In the statement, the Houthi rebel spokesman claimed that “Israel, with the support of the international community, especially the United States, is promoting a massacre in Gaza.” “That is why we decided to fire cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israel,” he added.
The incursion of Israeli soldiers into the Gaza Strip began from the north and advanced towards the city of Gaza, while bombings against Hamas leaders continue in densely populated areas, according to the country’s authorities.
The announcement of the statement by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, which is scheduled for this Friday at 3 p.m., is also causing anticipation. The extremist group has much greater firepower than Hamas and is considered an “army” with its main bases in Lebanon.
Given Nasrallah’s statement, there are fears that there will be a call for the socalled “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and Iraqi Shiite militias. However, these groups oppose the Islamic State and alQaeda even though they all have Israel and the United States as common enemies.
Hezbollah’s eventual entry into the conflict would represent a serious escalation of the war, not only because of the group’s military capacity, but also because it would draw Lebanon and other actors into the center of the crisis.