Israel reports second attack from Yemen as Middle East conflict escalates

(Reuters)

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, March 30 – The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at ​Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for only the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began.

It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early Monday but gave no ‌further details. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia entered the war on Saturday, firing missiles at Israel, escalating a conflict that has engulfed the Middle East.

Israel’s military also said the Air Force was carrying out strikes on Tehran on Monday, targeting what it described as military infrastructure.

The latest attacks came a day after President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran had been meeting “directly and indirectly” and that Iran’s new leaders have been “very reasonable”, as more U.S troops arrived in the region.

Pakistan, which is acting as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, said ​it was preparing to host “meaningful talks” in the coming days aimed at ending the month-long Iran war. It was not clear whether the U.S. and Iran had agreed to attend.

“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, killing 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.