US Ambassador: Israel Not a Target, Houthis Are Iran's Proxies

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Hackbee stated Tuesday that despite the escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen, the conflict has not yet spread throughout the region, and Israel is not currently a target. "Israel is not a target. No Houthi missiles have been fired at us, nor have Iranian missiles been fired at us," he said.

Hackbee noted that the ceasefire between the United States and the Houthis remains in effect, approximately a year and a half after it was established. He added that the current conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has not spilled over into other Gulf states, calling this "good news."

However, the ambassador emphasized that these events should be viewed as part of a broader confrontation with Iran. "We must not forget that the Houthis are a proxy of Iran, as are Hamas and Hezbollah," he stated. Hackbee cited President Donald Trump's understanding of the Iranian threat, suggesting that "until the mother ship is taken down, all these satellites will continue to do malicious things around the world." He further commented that the Iranian threat is not merely a regional issue but a "global issue that also concerns the United States."

Meanwhile, the escalation in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis expanded to Mecca, with air raid sirens activated in the holy city, as well as renewed alerts in Jeddah and Taif. This follows alerts in six other cities, including Yanbu, Saudi Arabia's main oil port on the Red Sea, during the night. Official reports of casualties, damage, or the source of the threat in Mecca have not yet been released. The alert in Mecca further broadens the scope of the Houthi threat, which had previously focused on southern Saudi Arabia and military bases near the Yemeni border.

The current escalation comes after the Houthis rapidly expanded their control along Yemen's Red Sea coast, including Perim Island at the entrance to the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. Saudi air force and Riyadh-backed Yemeni forces have intensified attacks on Houthi targets in response, but the organization reportedly maintains effective control over almost the entire western coast of Yemen.