DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militants joined the ongoing Middle East conflict on Saturday by launching two missile strikes toward Israel, as approximately 2,500 U.S. Marines deployed to the region. Pakistan announced that regional leaders will convene Sunday to discuss ending the hostilities.
The conflict has disrupted global oil and natural gas supplies, created fertilizer shortages, and interfered with international air travel. Iran’s control over the critical Strait of Hormuz has rattled markets and driven up prices. The United States and Israel have continued striking Iranian targets, while Iran has retaliated with attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf nations. The death toll has exceeded 3,000 people.
The Houthis’ participation threatens to further damage international shipping if they resume targeting vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait near the Red Sea, a waterway that handles approximately 12% of global commerce.
Some relief may come after Iran agreed Friday to permit humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the strait following United Nations appeals. President Donald Trump has set an April 6 deadline for Iran to reopen the strait.
Residents in Tehran reported intense bombardment late Saturday. Israel’s military previously announced it was targeting Iran’s naval weapons manufacturing facilities and stated it would complete attacks on crucial weapons production sites within “a few days.” The U.S. reported striking over 11,000 Iranian targets during the conflict.
Iran launched missiles at Israel, while air defense systems intercepted missiles and drones across Gulf nations early Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy toured Gulf states Saturday as his nation offers drone defense assistance.
Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree announced on the group’s Al-Masirah satellite network that they fired missiles at “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel.
Should the Houthis escalate attacks on commercial vessels, as they have previously, it would drive oil prices higher and threaten “all of maritime security,” according to Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group. “The impact would not be limited to the energy market.”
The Bab el-Mandeb strait, located at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, serves as a vital passage for ships traveling to the Suez Canal via the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia has been transporting millions of barrels of crude oil daily through this route due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Between November 2023 and January 2025, Houthi fighters targeted over 100 commercial ships with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels. The organization claimed it was acting in support of Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Houthis’ recent entry complicates plans for the USS Gerald R. Ford, the aircraft carrier that docked in Croatia Saturday for maintenance. Deploying the vessel to the Red Sea could provoke attacks similar to those experienced by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and the USS Harry S. Truman in 2025.
The Houthis have controlled Yemen’s capital city, Sanaa, since 2014. Saudi Arabia initiated military action against the Houthis in 2015 on behalf of Yemen’s government in exile, and the parties now maintain an unstable ceasefire.
Pakistan announced that senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt will travel to Islamabad for discussions aimed at ending the war, arriving Sunday for a two-day conference. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian conducted “extensive discussions” about regional conflicts.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed skepticism about recent diplomatic initiatives during a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart. Iranian state media reported that Araghchi criticized the U.S. for making “unreasonable demands” and showing “contradictory actions.”
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar subsequently spoke with Araghchi and called for “an end to all attacks and hostilities.”
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff revealed that Washington presented a 15-point “action list” to Iran for a potential ceasefire, including proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and limit Iran’s nuclear program, which remains central to tensions with the U.S. and Israel.
Tehran rejected the proposal and offered a five-point counterproposal that included reparations and acknowledgment of its control over the waterway.
U.S. vessels carrying approximately 2,500 Marines trained in amphibious operations have arrived, joining what represents the largest American military presence in the region in over two decades. At least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, specialized in hostile territory landings to secure strategic positions and airfields, have been ordered to the Middle East.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington “can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops.”
More than two dozen American troops sustained injuries in Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base during the past week, according to two sources briefed on the situation who requested anonymity because they lacked authorization for public comment.
Iran launched six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the facility Friday, wounding at least 15 troops, with five suffering serious injuries. The base, located approximately 96 kilometers (60 miles) from Saudi capital Riyadh, endured two previous attacks this week, including one that injured 14 U.S. personnel, according to the briefed sources.
Over 300 U.S. service members have been wounded in the conflict. At least 13 deaths have been confirmed.
Iranian officials report more than 1,900 fatalities in the Islamic Republic, while 19 deaths have been confirmed in Israel.
In Lebanon, where Israel has begun a southern invasion while targeting the Hezbollah militant organization, authorities report over 1,100 deaths since the conflict began.
In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have joined the fighting, 80 security force members have died.
Gulf states have recorded 20 fatalities. Four deaths have occurred in the occupied West Bank.
