Iran Launches Missile Attacks For Second Time On Israel, Yemen’s Entry As Houthi Forces Deepens Crisis After Trump’s ‘Take The Oil’ Remark

The Israeli military reported on Monday that Iran launched several waves of missiles toward Israel. It also said an attack from Yemen took place, marking only the second such incident since the U.S.-Israel war began.

According to the military, two drones from Yemen were intercepted early Monday, though no further details were shared. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group had entered the conflict on Saturday, firing missiles at Israel and further intensifying tensions across the Middle East. Israel also stated that its Air Force carried out strikes on Tehran the same day, targeting what it described as military infrastructure.

These developments follow remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who said the U.S. and Iran had been in both direct and indirect talks, adding that Iran’s new leadership appeared “very reasonable,” even as more U.S. troops were deployed to the region. Meanwhile, Pakistan, acting as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, announced plans to host “meaningful talks” in the coming days aimed at resolving the month-long conflict, though it remains unclear whether both sides will participate.

“I think we’ll make a deal with them, I’m pretty sure, but it’s possible we won’t,” Trump told reporters on Sunday evening as he traveled aboard Air Force One to Washington.

Trump said he thought the U.S. had already accomplished regime change in Tehran after strikes killed the country’s supreme leader and other top officials, but said twice that their replacements seemed “reasonable.”

An initial Israeli strike on February 28 killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was replaced by his son Mojtaba.

The war has spread across the Middle East, killinh thousands, causing the biggest disruption ever to energy supplies and hitting the global economy.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has accused the U.S. of sending messages about possible negotiations while at the same time planning a ground invasion.

“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,” he said in a message to the nation.

The US Department of Defense has dispatched thousands of troops to the Middle East, giving Trump the option of launching a ground offensive.

ISRAELI STRIKES

Israel‘s military said it had launched over 140 air strikes on central and western Iran, including Tehran, over the 24 hours to Sunday evening, hitting ballistic missile launch sites and storage facilities, among other targets. Iranian state media reported strikes had hit Mehrabad airport and a petrochemical plant in the northern city of Tabriz.

Four weeks of intense U.S.-Israeli bombardment has failed to silence Iran’s missile and drone batteries, with Kuwait on Monday reporting it had intercepted five drones in areas under its protection. A chemical plant in southern Israel near the city of Beersheba was hit by a missile or missile debris on Sunday as Israel fended off multiple salvos from Iran.

Iran also continues its effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of global oil and gas shipments, spiking oil prices and spreading economic pain  around the world. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis joined the conflict on Saturday, launching their first attacks on Israel and raising the prospect they could target and block a second key shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Stocks slumped in Asia on Monday as investors dug in for a protracted conflict, bringing a spike in inflation and the risk of recession to much of the globe. Japan’s Nikkei index was down more than 3%. 

Meanwhile, oil prices looked poised to extend their gains, with Brent headed ‌for a record monthly rise. Brent crude futures LCOc1 jumped $2.43, or 2.16%, to $115 a barrel by 0342 GMT after settling 4.2% higher on Friday. Global airlines have begun to hike fares and cut capacity to cope with the surge in the oil price, but analysts warn the industry’s ability to remain profitable may depend on whether consumers pull back on flying as energy costs threaten household budgets.

MORE US TROOPS ARRIVE

Several hundred special operations personnel have arrived in the region, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing two military officials. That comes on top of thousands of U.S. Marines that came on Friday aboard an amphibious assault ship, the first of two contingents, the U.S. military has said.

Reuters has reported that the Pentagon has been considering military options that could include ground forces, although Trump has not approved any of those plans, according to multiple news outlets.

In an interview with Financial Times published on Sunday, Trump said he wanted to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island. Taking control of Kharg would require ground troops. The island handles 90% of Iran’s ​oil exports and seizing it would give the United States the ability to severely disrupt Iran’s energy trade, placing ​enormous pressure on Tehran’s economy.

The majority of Americans are opposed to the war and a military escalation, which would risk a protracted crisis, would likely weigh further on Trump’s already low approval ratings ahead of November midterm elections for Congress. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had ordered the military to further expand its operations in southern Lebanon, citing continued ​rocket fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

Israel has said it will seize a chunk of southern Lebanon to create a “buffer zone” against Hezbollah, stoking fears among Lebanese of Israeli military occupation that could deepen instability and stoke further displacement.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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