Houthis: Israeli attack on Beirut suburb opens door 'to an open war'

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia on Friday condemned the Israeli attack on the headquarters of the Hezbollah militia in a Beirut suburb, saying it "opens the door to an open war."

"Targeting the southern suburb [of Beirut], which is crowded with civilians, is unprecedented brutality and is neither new nor surprising for the Zionist gang," the militia's political bureau said in a statement.

"The serious development in the aggression on Lebanon opens the door to an open and comprehensive war, the result of which will be devastating to the interim entity [Israel]," it added, according to the Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah TV.

Both the Houthi and Hezbollah militias are part of Iran's so-called "axis of resistance" which includes proxy groups in Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere.

Since the onset of the Gaza war nearly a year ago, the Houthis have targeted Israel and merchant vessels in the Red Sea, stating these actions are in solidarity with the Palestinian organization Hamas in Gaza.

The Houthis have carried out various attacks, including drone and missile strikes on Tel Aviv. In response, Israel, along with the United States and Britain, has targeted locations within Yemen in recent months.

As a result of these militia attacks, the traffic of container ships in the region has plummeted by approximately 90%.