CNN —The Israeli military said Tuesday it had thwarted an aerial attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, as fears rise across the region that the Israel-Hamas war could widen. They have voiced support for the Palestinians and organized protests in Yemen against Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Gen. Pat Ryder said the missiles were fired by Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen and were launched “potentially toward targets in Israel.” US interceptions of Houthi launches are exceedingly rare. Hezbollah, another powerful Shia militia, and Israel have been engaged in daily skirmishes on the Israel-Lebanon border since the war began. In October, the US deployed two carrier groups to the eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran, Syria and Hezbollah from opening new fronts against Israel.

---

Persons: Yahya Saree, Houthi, ”, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, “, Brig, Pat Ryder Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Iranian, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pentagon, Islamic Locations: Iran, Yemen, Israel, Brig, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, United States, Iranian, Lebanon, Islamic Jihad, Syria, Iraq