Houthis launch 2nd wave of missile attack on Israel

It accused the United States and Israel of advancing a Zionist plan threatening the region and aimed at establishing a so-called Greater Israel and a new Middle East, and called on the Islamic countries to unite. The group stressed that its military operations target solely against the Israeli and American enemy, and expressed its readiness to engage with Arab and Islamic countries to prevent any misunderstandings. Meanwhile, Yemen's internationally recognized government condemned the Houthis' announcement, warning that such actions risk dragging the country into a wider regional confrontation. Earlier Saturday, the Houthi armed forces said they had launched ballistic missiles at what they described as sensitive Israeli military sites in southern Israel, the group's first such attack since Israel and the United States began large-scale attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Salah Ali Salah, a researcher of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, described the group's involvement as a high-risk gamble, noting that any move to threaten Red Sea shipping could trigger direct American intervention. The Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa and much of northern Yemen since late 2014, previously supported Iran during last year's 12-day conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Saturday its air defense has struck a U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon and an MQ-9 Reaper drone in the country's southern airspace. Making the announcement in a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said the U.S. fighter jet and drone were hit during joint retaliatory missile and drone operations by its Navy and Aerospace Division against heavy industries belonging to the United States and Israel. It added that the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has also confessed that its F-16 Fighting Falcon was targeted. In a post on social media platform X, CENTCOM said, A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon lands at a base in the Middle East after a combat flight in support of Operation Epic Fury. The development came amid heightened tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday that a task force of 3,500 marines and sailors arrived in the Middle East on Friday. U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27, CENTCOM said in a brief post on social media platform X. The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about 3,500 sailors and marines in addition to transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets, CENTCOM said in the post. The arrival is part of a broader U.S. military buildup tied to the ongoing war with Iran, with amphibious forces capable of conducting both sea-based strikes and ground operations, online news portal ynetnews.com reported on Saturday, adding such units are typically used for rapid deployments, including securing strategic locations, evacuations or potential assaults on coastal targets. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the Pentagon was considering deploying up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give U.S. President Donald Trump more military options beyond diplomacy. The force, likely to include infantry and armored vehicles, would be added to the roughly 5,000 Marines and thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division already ordered to the region, said the report, citing Department of Defense officials. It was unclear exactly where the forces would be deployed in the Middle East, but they are expected to be within striking distance of Iran and its Kharg Island, a crucial oil export hub, the WSJ report added. Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Effie Defrin on Saturday said in a live broadcast update that within a few days, the Israeli military will complete the strikes on all vital components of Iran's military industry. This means that we will destroy most of Iran's military production capabilities, and it will take the Iranian regime a long time to restore them, Defrin added. We continue to act according to a plan, with a systematic and extensive attack that is prepared in advance and constantly adapted to the situation, he noted. We have an opportunity to fundamentally change the situation. Regarding the missile launched from Yemen at Israel on Saturday morning, the first since the start of the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran, Defrin said that Israel was prepared for a multi-front war, including the Houthis, and warned that anyone who tries to harm Israeli citizens will pay a price for it. Regarding the Lebanese front, Defrin noted that the Israeli army has so far killed more than 850 Hezbollah militants and that it is deepening control in southern Lebanon to prevent direct fire on northern Israeli settlements. Iran's president vows strong retaliation if infrastructure targeted Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday vowed that his country will retaliate strongly against any attack on its infrastructure and economic centers. He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X, one day after Israel targeted Iran's industrial plants and nuclear facilities. We have said many times that Iran doesn't carry out preemptive attacks, but we will retaliate strongly if our infrastructure or economic centers are targeted, Pezeshkian said. Addressing the countries in the West Asia region, he added, If you want development and security, don't let our enemies carry out the war from your lands. Israel on Friday evening attacked several Iranian industrial and atomic facilities, including two steel plants, one located in Isfahan province and the other in Khuzestan, a heavy water research reactor facility in Markazi province, and a yellowcake production plant in Yazd province. The strikes came as U.S. President Donald Trump set a 10-day deadline, ending on April 6, for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to target Iran's power plants if it does not comply. Also on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi expressed his country's deep distrust of the United States in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. In a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Araghchi praised efforts by Türkiye and other regional countries to end the ongoing U.S. and Israeli imposed war against Iran, saying the U.S. and Israeli aggressions and crimes are the root cause of the current tensions and insecurity in the West Asia region. The core issue lies in the U.S. contradictory behaviors and unreasonable demands, he said, noting such contradictory behaviors and remarks are very suspicious and have increased pessimism about Washington's deception. Fidan, for his part, highlighted his country's approach to ending the war, expressing readiness to play a constructive role in resolving the ongoing crisis. 5 Iraqi security personnel killed in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes At least five Iraqi security personnel were killed and nine others wounded Saturday evening in a series of airstrikes in northern provinces, according to official statements. An Iraqi Interior Ministry statement said that two police officers were killed and five others wounded in a treacherous U.S.-Israeli aggression targeting a checkpoint in Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province. Meanwhile, Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said in a statement that three of its members were killed and four others wounded in three U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on its North and East Tigris Operations Command in Kirkuk province. Dozens of PMF members have been killed in recent days in attacks, for which the group blamed U.S.-Israeli operations. Israeli airstrikes on S. Lebanon kill 5, injure 1 Five people were killed and one injured in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanese official and security sources. According to the official National News Agency, two people were killed in a drone strike on the municipality of Al-Aaishiyah in the Jezzine district, while one person was killed and another wounded in an airstrike on the town of Maarakeh. A Lebanese army member was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Nabatieh district, and another person was killed in a drone strike on the town of Kfar Tebnit. The Lebanese Health Ministry said in its daily report that the total death toll since March 2 has risen to 1,189, with 3,427 people injured. Meanwhile, in a joint statement, UN's deputy special coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza and WHO Representative in Lebanon Abdinasir Abubakar called for the protection of health care workers and first responders, saying that since March 2, at least 75 attacks affecting health care in Lebanon have been reported, resulting in 51 deaths and 126 injuries among on-duty healthcare personnel. Cross-border fighting has continued along the Lebanon-Israel border since March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire took effect in 2024, triggering intensified Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon. Iran claims heavy US causalities in strikes on 'hideouts' in Dubai Iran on Saturday claimed that the US has suffered heavy casualties in the strikes on two US Army hideouts in Dubai as the conflict in West Asia continues, reported ANI, quoting the State Media Tasnim News Agency. According to the news agency, a spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya said that more than 500 US Army personnel were in these hideouts, around 400 in the first and 100 in the second hideout. The IRGC identified these locations and carried out precise missiles and drone strikes and inflicted heavy casualties, as per the spokesperson's claims reported by the Tasnim News Agency. The spokesperson claimed that the ambulances in Dubai were busy for hours transferring the dead and wounded Americans. The spokesperson added, Trump and the commanders of the US Army must have fully understood that the region will turn into a graveyard for American soldiers, and they will have no choice but to surrender to the divine will of the heroic people and the brave warriors of Islam. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned Gulf countries against backing the US-Israel. Pezeshkian advised countries not to allow the US-Israel to use their lands to strike Iran if they want to ensure development and security in their nation. He reiterated that Iran will strongly retaliate against the US-Israel if the infrastructure or economic centres of Tehran are targeted. We have said many times that Iran doesn't carry out preemptive attacks, but we will retaliate strongly if our infrastructure or economic centres are targeted, Pezeshkian said in a post on X. To the countries of the region: If you want development and security, don't let our enemies run the war from your lands, he added. Iran claims destroying Ukrainian anti-drone equipment depot in UAE A depot storing Ukrainian anti-drone defense systems in Dubai was destroyed in a missile strike by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday, reported Xinhua. Tasnim quoted Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman of Iran's main military command Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, as saying that the depot was hit during joint missile operations by the IRGC's Navy and Aerospace Division, alongside attacks on U.S. personnel in Dubai, which he said inflicted heavy casualties. Zolfaghari said 21 Ukrainians were in the warehouse at the time and that the systems were intended to assist U.S. forces. Earlier Saturday, Iran struck a U.S. Army support vessel near Oman's Salalah port, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Zolfaghari said Iran respects Omani sovereignty. Ukraine denied the strike, calling it false. Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said, This is a lie; we officially refute this information. Meanwhile, Ukraine has agreed to new defense cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to both countries to sign security and defense agreements. The deals include sharing expertise on missiles and unmanned aerial systems. Zelensky's visits to the UAE and Qatar came a day after he announced a defense agreement with Riyadh. Drone attacks hit Kuwait airport, damage radar system Kuwait International Airport was targeted by multiple drone attacks that caused significant damage to its radar system, the country's civil aviation authorities said Saturday, reported Xinhua. Abdullah Al-Rajhi, spokesperson for Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said in a statement carried by the state news agency KUNA that no injuries or casualties were reported as a result of the attacks. Al-Rajhi said emergency response teams and relevant authorities moved swiftly to the scene and took the necessary measures to contain the situation and assess the damage. He added that the drone attacks caused substantial disruption by damaging the airport's radar infrastructure. Pakistani PM briefs Iranian president on push for peace talks Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday briefed Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Islamabad's ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at creating a conducive environment for peace talks amid escalating regional hostilities, said a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office. During a telephone conversation lasting over an hour, the two leaders held extensive discussions on the evolving situation in the Middle East and ongoing efforts to restore peace, according to the office. Sharif informed the Iranian president about Pakistan's diplomatic outreach to engage the United States, Gulf countries and other Islamic nations to facilitate dialogue. According to the statement, Sharif highlighted the strong endorsement for Pakistan's peace initiative and expressed hope that collective efforts could help identify a viable path toward ending hostilities. The prime minister also reiterated Pakistan's strong condemnation of continued Israeli attacks on Iran, including recent strikes on civilian infrastructure, and offered condolences on the loss of lives. Pezeshkian, while appreciating Pakistan's diplomatic efforts, shared Iran's perspective on the ongoing hostilities and underscored the importance of building trust to facilitate talks and mediation, said the statement.