Former US diplomat: Houthi missiles on Israel a warning

Attacks on Israel mounted by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia are largely symbolic and a warning of full involvement at a later stage, former US diplomat Nabeel Khoury told broadcaster Al Jazeera on Sunday.

The attacks were a response to threats by the United States of escalation in the Iran war if negotiations were unsuccessful, said Khoury, a former deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Yemen.

"They have fired a couple of missiles as a warning because of all the talk of potential escalation – there are US troops on their way to the region," Khoury told the broadcaster.

"There's been talk that if there is no agreement, there might be a full-scale attack on Iran as has not been seen so far," he said.

Khoury said the Houthis were saying, "We are still here, and if you're really going to go all out against Iran, we will then jump in."

The former diplomat said that the Houthis had not as yet done so but if they did, their most significant move would be blocking Bab al-Mandab, the entrance to the Red Sea, with boats, mines, or missiles.

"All they have to do is fire at a couple of ships coming through. And that would lead to the arrest of all commercial shipping through the Red Sea," he said. He predicted that would be a "red line" for the US, which would be followed very quickly by attacks on Yemen.