Houthi missile attack on Israel stokes Red Sea shipping fears

CAIRO — A missile attack on Israel by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saturday raises concern that Tehran’s proxies may again try to block Red Sea shipping routes, as Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz keeps another key global trade passage virtually closed. The Houthis said they fired a barrage of missiles at “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel, their first since the start of the war in the Middle East a month ago. The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. The Houthis are a key Iranian ally The Houthis are a crucial part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance,” which includes militant groups in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories. They control the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and much of the country’s north, and since 2014 have fought a civil war against the internationally recognized government that’s backed by a Saudi-led coalition. Unlike Lebanon’s Hezbollah and militant groups in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen had held back for a month since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Red Sea shi

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