The Israel Defense Forces shot down a missile fired by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen on Tuesday night, triggering air-raid sirens in the south of the country, according to an IDF statement.
The incident marked the first time that the Jewish state’s air defenses were activated against a threat from Yemen since the start of the ceasefire with Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 19.
Sirens sounded following “projectile fire from Yemen,” the IDF said in the statement, confirming that alerts were triggered in the Negev area.
“The Air Force intercepted one missile launched from Yemen,” added the military in Hebrew. “The missile was intercepted before it crossed into the country’s territory; alerts were activated according to policy.”
Israel’s Magen David Adom medical response group said it did not receive any calls about shrapnel impacts or casualties in the missile assault, “with the exception of isolated [cases of] panic victims.”
Following the attempted strike, Houthi official Hazam al-Asad tweeted in Hebrew, “The Yemeni people will not leave Gaza alone! The Zionists will pay for their crimes against children, women, and civilians.”
Since Hamas initiated the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel’s south, Yemen’s Houthis have supported the terror organization, firing more than 350 drones and missiles at the Jewish state, in addition to countless attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area.
The Houthis ceased their attacks with the start of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on Jan. 19. The 42-day Phase 1 of the truce expired on March 1, and talks on extending the temporary truce through Ramadan and Passover have so far been unsuccessful.
On Feb. 28, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis, threatened that the missile attacks on Tel Aviv would resume if Jerusalem renewed its military actions against Hamas in Gaza.
The IDF announced early on Tuesday morning that it launched “extensive” strikes against terror targets in Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the military was acting after Hamas rebuffed several proposals from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and others.
On Sunday, the IDF confirmed to JNS that it had detected a missile launch from Yemen, which did not impact near Israeli territory.
This followed reports from local media stating that the Houthis had fired a projectile that struck in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, near the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on the Red Sea. The Israeli military clarified that it was not possible to determine the intended target of the Houthi projectile.