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Iran-backed Houthis fire missile at Israel from Yemen, risking further escalation

The Yemen-based Houthi militant groupclaimed responsibility for an attack on Israel on Saturday, marking the Iran-backed group's entry into the widening conflict in the Middle East, one that could further disruptthe region's vital shipping lanes.

The Houthis "have carried out their first military operation with a batch of ballistic missiles, which targeted sensitive military targets" of Israel, the group's armed forces said on Telegram Saturday, citing "continued military escalation" against Iran, Lebanon, Iraq andthe Palestinian territories.

"This operation coincided with the heroic operations carried out by the brothers, the fighters in Iran andHezbollah in Lebanon, and the operation successfully achieved its goals," the Iran-backed group added.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed a missile launch from Yemen toward Israel, adding that aerial defense systems were operating to intercept the threat. It later gave the all-clear to sheltering civilians.

While such strikes may have limited direct military impact, the Houthis carry the potential to trigger broader disruption, particularly in the Red Sea,a critical artery for global trade.

Global shipping and oil markets are already in turmoil after Iran responded to the American-Israeli attack by effectively closingthe Strait of Hormuz, prompting what the International Energy Agency described as the worst disruption in the history of the oil market.

The Red Sea is also a vital corridor for global commerce, especially for trade between Europe and Asia. Around one-tenth of the world's seaborne oil shipments usually pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow chokepoint just 16 miles wide separating the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa, with Saudi Arabia further stepping up oil shipments via the Red Sea route amid the Hormuz disruption.

The Houthis, a key part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance," have until now refrained from joining the war sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. (Mohammed Huwais / AFP - Getty Images)

In recent years, the Houthis have significantly reduced traffic through the waterway with repeated attacks on vessels.

The group began targeting ships along the route in October 2023, in response to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip. Shipping volumes in the Red Sea plummeted, with traffic through the Suez Canal, which links it to the Mediterranean Sea down 70% by mid-2024, according to a yearly review by United Nations Trade and Development. Meanwhile, oil flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait were cut in half, according to an analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The Houthis succeeded in "hindering, impeding and blocking the Red Sea" during Israel's war in Gaza, Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told NBC News.

"The American-Israeli war in Iran is really no longer a limited war. It'sall-out regional conflict," he added. "What I worry about is that it's no longer just a military conflict, it's now an economic war that involves the supply chains, the global energy system, its waterways."

Through Saturday's strikes, "the Houthis have given the Americans and the Israelis a taste of what's to come," he said.

Last year, President Donald Trump launched an intensive, weekslong bombing campaign against the Houthis that cost $1 billion before announcing a ceasefire, only for the group to go on to sink two more ships later that year.

It was only in December that oil tankers and cargo vessels had been "gradually making a return" to the Red Sea, according to maritime intelligence firm Lloyd's List.

Iran has also signaled that the waterway could become a target. It said this week that the 1,400-mile inlet dividing Africa and Asia was fair game for retaliatory attacks due to the presence of the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

Any facilities supporting the carrier group "will be regarded as potential targets by Iran's armed forces," its military said Monday, according to the semiofficial Fars News Agency.

Meanwhile, the conflict with Iran continues to escalate. Several American service members were injured by an Iranian missile fired at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, according to two U.S. officials.

None of the injuries are considered life-threatening. At least one aircraft was also damaged in the attack.

At least 303 Americans have now been injured in the war against Iran, 10 of those seriously.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 28, 2026

Iran-backed Houthis fire missile at Israel from Yemen, risking further escalation

The Yemen-based Houthi militant groupclaimed responsibility for an attack on Israel on Saturday, marking the Iran-backed ...

April weather forecast predicts 'major change' as heat dome moves

As the calendar soon turns to April, it appears that we can finally shed alltalk of the polar vortexuntil next winter asmilder weather takes hold across much of the eastern U.S. and a cool-down ends the western heat wave.

A surge of warmth featuring temperatures above the historical average will impact the Southeast and parts of the eastern United States to start April,AccuWeather said in an online forecast. The pattern will support multiple days of temperatures in the 80s, with increasing risks for thunderstorms and heavy rainfall as a front advances later in the period.

Meanwhile, some good news is in the forecast for the drought- and heat-plagued West, as a cool, wet and even snowy pattern is forecast to bring some relief that's desperately needed across the region.

Calling it a "major pattern shift,"Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Mauesaid theheat domethat's baked the West for weeks will shift east and build strongly into early April. At the same time, a trough and much cooler weather will arrive into the western U.S. by mid-week, he said in an e-mail to USA TODAY.

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There were storms over the ocean over Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday night, May 24, 2025, eerie blue lights could be seen near the shore in Cocoa Beach with lightning lighting the sky behind them. The blue glows turned out to be lights on the mast of a sailboat anchored just offshore, maybe to avoid the storms.

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Warmth, rain in central and eastern US forecast

Warmer air is forecast to overspread the central and eastern U.S. next week, according toAccuWeather.

"A long-lasting warm weather pattern may take hold across the southeastern United States next week, featuring multiple days with widespread highs in the 80s," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in anonline forecast.

Along with the warmth will come some storminess,Weather.com said in an online forecast: "A pattern change will bring rain and storms back across much of the central and eastern U.S. next week. This will bring much-needed rain to places that are drought-stricken, especially across parts of the mid-South and Tennessee Valley, while also helping to wash away some of that pollen."

A major pattern change is forecast for the United States' weather in early April, with cooler weather in the West and warmer weather in the East.

Western heat relief

The prolonged and record-smashing heat wave across the western United States will give way to a series of Pacific storms as April begins, bringing cooler air, rain and mountain snow,AccuWeather said. While temperatures will drop significantly, precipitation totals are expected to remain limited in key drought areas.

Overall, across the West, unsettled weather is expected early in the month,NOAA's Weather Prediction Center(WPC) said.

The temperature forecast for early April shows unusual warmth is expected in the East and cooler weather in the West.

An atmospheric river should track across California, even into southern California, by Tuesday, March 31, but is currently forecast to remain too weak to cause flooding issues, theWPCsaid.

Although the precipitation may be on the light side, very welcome rain and mountain snow will be common across the Intermountain West with multiple rounds through the week.

Rainfall will generally be light, with only a few tenths of an inch possible in parts of California, including San Francisco. High-elevation snow is expected Monday night into Tuesday and possibly again later in the week, but totals will be limited compared to earlier winter storms.

However, gusty winds could be a concern across the Intermountain West to the Rockies with this pattern.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:April weather forecast says heat dome will shift in 'major' change

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 28, 2026

April weather forecast predicts 'major change' as heat dome moves

As the calendar soon turns to April, it appears that we can finally shed alltalk of the polar vortexuntil next winter ...

Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing for Portugal vs. Mexico?

Portugal has traveled to North America for pre-World Cup friendlies without its most iconic player.

Cristiano Ronaldo will miss out on Saturday's friendly at Mexico and Tuesday's friendly at the United States due to a muscle injury he suffered at the end of February in a game with Al Nassr..

After leaving Ronaldooff his Portugal's rosterlast week, Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez calmed any fears that the 41-year-old legend could be at risk of a long-term absence.

"The World Cup is not at risk" Martínez said. "It's a minor muscle injury and we think he can return in a week or two.

"Everything Cristiano has done physically during the season shows that he's in great shape."