IDF says projectile launched by Iran-backed group intercepted before crossing border; Houthi media says US attacked airport in port city of Hodeida
A ballistic missile fired at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Sunday morning was successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military said.
There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attack, which triggered sirens across central Israel. The IDF said the missile was shot down before crossing the country’s borders.
It was the fifth Houthi attack on Israel since the Israel Defense Forces began its renewed offensive against Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday.
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Al-Masirah TV, blaming “American aggression,” said three attacks had targeted the airport in Hodeida on the Red Sea coast.
On March 15, the US announced a wave of airstrikes that officials said killed senior Houthi leaders, and which the rebels’ health authorities said killed 53 people.
The strikes, the first since Trump resumed office, came after the group threatened to renew attacks on Israeli shipping.
The missiles have all been intercepted by Israeli air defenses or fallen short of reaching Israel, but have nevertheless sent much of the country scrambling to shelters.
On Saturday, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen, apparently aimed at Israel, was said by a defense source to have fallen short in Saudi Arabia.
The military identified the missile, but sirens were not activated in Israel due to it not posing a threat. It was not immediately clear why the missile had failed to reach Israel or if it was even aimed at Israel.
Citing an Israeli official, the Ynet news site reported on Thursday that Washington had asked Israel not to respond to the Houthis’ latest missile attacks. According to the report, the US told Israel to “let them deal with it.”
The strikes on the Houthis are the most significant American military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office. Trump has said he would hold Iran responsible for the Houthi strikes.
The Houthis began attacking the vital Red Sea maritime route in November 2023, a month after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
While the Houthis have said they were attacking Israeli-linked shipping in support of Gaza, they have also targeted vessels with no known Israeli connections.
The Houthis — whose slogan is “Death to America, death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews” — paused their attacks after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage deal in January.
Content retrieved from: https://www.timesofisrael.com/houthis-fire-ballistic-missile-at-israel-triggering-sirens-across-center-of-country/.
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