Yemen’s Houthis fired another missile at Israel on Sunday, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claiming it intercepted at least one projectile. The Houthis have repeatedly voiced support for Palestinians during the war in Gaza, targeting Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and launching missiles at the country.
There were no reports of damage or injuries linked to the attack, which reportedly prompted “millions” of Israelis to take shelter on Sunday morning, per the IDF. Two missiles were said to have landed in uninhabited areas, in addition to the one shot down.
“Following the alerts that were activated a short time ago in several areas of the country, the Air Force intercepted one missile launched from Yemen. The missile was intercepted before it crossed into the country’s territory,” Israel’s military wrote in Hebrew in a social media post.
The attack briefly shut down air traffic at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport near the city of Lod, Palestine Chronicle reported. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Sunday’s attack was successful, and noted that US warships in the Red Sea were also targeted with missiles and drones.
The Houthis have launched at least five attacks on Israel since the IDF renewed its offensive in Gaza last Tuesday, which broke a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal with Hamas, as well as a brief lull in fighting which has claimed some 50,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israeli operations have included ground forces in addition to new rounds of airstrikes.
The attempted Houthi attack on Sunday came just one day after the group accused Washington of targeting the airport in the major coastal city of al-Hodeida, and days after the United States said it would deploy a second carrier strike group to the Red Sea, led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. The Houthis said US strikes had killed at least 79 people and wounded more than 100, among them women and children.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) recently confirmed that it was carrying out “continuous operations” against the Houthis, who President Donald Trump has declared would be “annihilated.”
At least one Houthi projectile reportedly broke up over Saudi airspace on Sunday. A few days earlier, the United States approved a sale to Riyadh for 2,000 laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II missiles, which can be used for air defense.
The leader of the Houthi movement, also known by its formal name Ansar Allah, issued a message to the Palestinian people last week, telling them they were “not alone,” while insisting there was “no alternative to bearing responsibility in confronting and resisting the Israeli enemy.”
Will Porter is assistant news editor and book editor at the Libertarian Institute, and a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. Find more of his work at Consortium News and ZeroHedge.
