In 4th attack in a day, IDF says Houthi missile intercepted, triggering Jerusalem sirens

Today, 10:25 am

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday morning fired a ballistic missile at Israel, triggering sirens in Jerusalem and some areas of southern Israel, in the fourth attack by the Iran-backed terror group in some 25 hours.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that the missile was successfully intercepted by air defenses.

There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attack.

Sirens sounded at 6:25 a.m. in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, along with several southern West Bank settlements and Israeli communities near the Dead Sea.

Preceding the sirens by some five minutes, an early alert warning was issued to a wide area in Jerusalem and southern Israel, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.

On Friday, the Houthis fired two ballistic missiles at northern Israel, claiming to have targeted the Ramat David Airbase and the coastal city of Haifa. The IDF said both missiles, which set off sirens at 5:31 a.m. and 1:38 p.m., were intercepted.

Additionally, on Friday evening, the IDF said a drone launched at Israel “from the east” — code for Yemen — was shot down by the Israeli Air Force. No sirens sounded “according to protocol,” the IDF added.

Yemenis inspect the rubble of a building hit in US strikes in the northern province of Saada on April 28, 2025. (AFP)

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 26 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. Only around half of them triggered sirens in the country and were shot down, while the others fell short.

The sirens often send hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushing to shelters at all hours of the night, causing a number of injuries in the scramble. The sirens are a precaution against falling debris from intercepts that have occasionally caused injuries, death and damage.

The Houthis — whose slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, a Curse on the Jews” — first began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas attack.

In recent weeks, the United States has been carrying out massive airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthis, targeting their leadership and infrastructure.

On Saturday, the Houthi-run Saba news agency said the United States carried out strikes overnight on the capital Sanaa and the neighboring districts of Bani Hashish and Khab al-Shaaf. It did not provide further details about the reported strikes.

Agencies contributed to this report.