Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have now confirmed that they launched an attack on Israel for the first time during the current Israeli-US war against Iran.

It marks their entry to the conflict and raises the prospects of a broader regional confrontation, as well as an increased threat to shipping in the region.

Israel earlier said it was working to intercept a missile from Yemen.

The group said the attack with a barrage of missiles came after continued targeting of infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, adding that their operations would continue until the ‘aggression’ on all fronts ends.

On Friday, Brig Gen Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, issued a pre-recorded statement outlining several ways the rebels could join the war on behalf of Iran.

‘We affirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention in any of the following cases,’ Saree said. They included the ‘continuation of the escalation against the Islamic Republic and the Axis of Jihad and Resistance, as dictated by the theatre of military operations.’

The group has now said it will remain in the conflict until all its goals are met.