The Israeli military intercepted a missile shot by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday, minutes after air raid sirens sounded in several parts of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia subsequently accepted responsibility for the missile launch in an address on television. The latest attack is the second missile fired at Israel by the Houthis in the last two days and reflects their continued campaign against Israel and Western-aligned shipping.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Israel using drones and missiles and have hit a number of international shipping routes. The Houthis say the attacks are a show of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been involved in a years-long conflict with Hamas since the group carried out a fatal cross-border attack in October 2023.
As retaliation for previous Houthi aggression, Israel has launched numerous retaliatory strikes against Houthi targets within Yemen.
The new missile activity coincides with a high-profile visit by US President Donald Trump to the Gulf. Trump said earlier this month that he had negotiated a temporary ceasefire with the Houthis to end attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea and off its shores. The ongoing targeting of Israel, however, calls into question the wider efficacy of that deal.
The incident underscores mounting regional complexity on the Gaza question, with an array of non-state and state actors becoming enmeshed directly or indirectly by proxy action. As tensions heat up, unease is deepening about a possible broader destabilization in the Middle East.
Thursday’s intercepted missile failed to cause fatalities, but Thursday’s escalation confirms the ongoing menace of the Houthis and volatility of fleeting peace in the background of ongoing regional conflict.
The Israeli government has not yet made an official announcement about the incident or the potential implications of Trump’s ceasefire agreement with the Houthis.
