Houthi launch first strikes on Israel of war, Pakistan offers to host Iran, U.S. peace talks

Yemen’s Houthi rebels officially entered the Middle East war on the side of their Iranian patrons this weekend by launching a coordinated attack on Israel. Meanwhile, Pakistan says it is willing to host peace talks to end a conflict that has upended international oil trade.

A Houthi military spokesman said Saturday that forces had fired a “barrage” of cruise missiles and drones at several sites in Israel.

“This operation coincided with the military operations being carried out by our mujahedeen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement.

The Israel Defense Forces said it intercepted all the Iran proxy group’s drones and missiles.

“We are in a multi-arena campaign. We are striking with immense force against Iran and its proxies,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference Sunday. “We are achieving great accomplishments [and] achievements that are creating visible cracks in the terrorist regime in Tehran.”

The attack raises concerns that Tehran and the Houthis may try to block Red Sea shipping routes through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint between Yemen and Djibouti. The Houthis said they are ready to intervene if other countries join the U.S. and Israel.

“We confirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention,” Gen. Saree said.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar raised hope Sunday for a diplomatic solution to the growing conflict by offering to mediate talks between Iran and the United States. He said Islamabad is “very happy” that both Iran and the U.S. have expressed confidence in Pakistan’s ability to facilitate the talks.

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“Pakistan has remained actively involved in all efforts and initiatives aimed at bringing this conflict to an end,” he said. “We have remained actively engaged with the U.S. leadership as well as part of our effort to de-escalate the situation and find a peaceful resolution.”

Despite the peace initiatives, the Trump administration is continuing to send U.S. ground troops to the region. About 3,500 Marines and sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Tripoli arrived this weekend in the U.S. Central Command region. They are being readied for a possible “boots on the ground” combat mission, such as an assault on Kharg Island. The island, about 15 miles off Iran’s coast, handles at least 90% of the country’s crude exports and acts as a strategic oil lifeline.

The Pentagon is also preparing about 3,500 Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division. They would reportedly be considered a “contingency force,” officials said.

A spokesman told the Fars News Agency that Iranian troops would be like “sharks” waiting for U.S. military personnel to land on the beaches.

“There is no doubt that [President Trump], under pressure from the terrorist organization Mossad and as a pawn of [Mr. Netanyahu], has entered into war and aggression against Iran,” Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari told the official news agency.

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U.S. Central Command had yet to comment on reports that a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control aircraft was among those damaged in an Iranian strike Friday on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

The attack reportedly injured more than 10 service members, including two seriously. The missile strike damaged other military aircraft, including critical aerial refueling tankers, according to Air & Space Forces magazine, a publication from the U.S. Air & Space Forces Association.

The Air Force has used AWACS planes since the late 1970s to provide command and control capabilities from the sky. The planes were used extensively during Operation Desert Storm and in more recent U.S. military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“But, the E-3 is aging, and its capabilities are falling behind those of some major adversaries,” Air & Space Forces magazine said. “The Air Force’s E-3 fleet has dwindled down to 16 as the service retires less-capable planes.”

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Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, said the Trump administration’s objectives are clear despite the skepticism expressed by Capitol Hill Democrats and a critical press.

“They’re what President Trump said on the very first day of this campaign: ‘We’re here to destroy their missiles, their missile launchers, and their drones, sink their navy, [and] destroy their air force,’” Mr. Cotton said on “Fox News Sunday.” “This revolutionary regime is going to be defanged and neutered. It will no longer be able to hold the world at risk.”

Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said he agreed with the Trump administration’s goal of degrading Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear arsenal.

“You’re bombing their missiles, you’re taking out their navy. You’ve reduced it, but you haven’t reduced the threat,” Mr. Smith said on “Fox News Sunday.” “They still threaten the Strait of Hormuz, [and] they still threaten the Middle East.”

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The White House made an implicit promise that Iran would cease to be a threat to the U.S. or the region after Operation Epic Fury’s conclusion, he said.

“Iran is not going to cease to be a threat after a multiweek or even a multimonth bombing campaign,” Mr. Smith said. “So, what are the steps that are going to fundamentally change this regime, bring it to its knees and basically cause some kind of regime change?”

Mr. Netanyahu said Iran and two of its regional proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, don’t have the same abilities to attack Israel as they had before the war.

“These are no longer terrorist armies that threaten our existence. These are battered enemies fighting for their own survival,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “Instead of surprising us, we are surprising them. We are the ones taking action; we are the ones attacking. We are the ones taking the initiative, and we are deep within their territory.”

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A senior Israeli officer told Walla News, a popular news site, that at least 70% of Iran’s industries have been hit since the start of the conflict. That includes the rapid production of missiles and drones.

“The goal, according to security officials, is to reach about 90% damage to vital targets within a few days,” Walla News said Saturday. “In addition to the direct damage, there is also economic damage intended to reduce the regime’s future production capabilities.”

Iran’s Fars News Agency said Americans have delegated command authority over their armed forces to Mr. Trump, whose “dangerous and misguided stances and decisions” have led the U.S. military into a deadly quagmire.

“Trump talks about negotiations one moment and, hours later, decides to manage a war,” Col. Zolfaghari said. “This unbalanced and lying individual has inflicted enormous damage on the people of the United States, Europe and countries around the world, especially in the West Asia region.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican, said Mr. Trump has been clear about the objectives of Operation Epic Fury, particularly shutting down Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“The whole world knows that a nuclear-armed Iran would have been a danger to the world,” Mr. Scalise said on ABC’s “This Week” program. “They’ve actually united … all the Arab nations around them because of the danger that they pose.”

He said Republican and Democratic administrations have long talked about the twin dangers of Iranian nuclear ambitions and the regime’s ultimate goal of destroying Israel.

“President Trump’s the one who had the guts to do what needed to be done to keep America and the rest of the world safe,” Mr. Scalise said.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.