The Israel Defense Forces downed a ballistic missile that was fired at the Jewish state by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen on Thursday.
“Following alerts that were activated a short time ago in several areas of the country, one missile from Yemen was intercepted,” the army stated.
Air-raid sirens were activated throughout Israel on Thursday evening, including in the Tel Aviv area and on the densely populated coastal plain, sending millions of Israeli civilians running for bomb shelters. Alerts sounded as far north as Netanya and as far south as Gedera.
Israel’s Magen David Adom medical emergency response group stated that it received no reports of casualties, “except for cases of anxiety and people who were injured on their way to a shelter.”
The Houthis have escalated their assaults on Israel in recent weeks, including a direct hit near Ben-Gurion International Airport on May 4.
Early on Tuesday morning, the IDF intercepted a ballistic missile that was also launched by the terror group.
The attack triggered air-raid sirens in the Jordan Valley, as well as several towns in Samaria, prompting residents to rush to bomb shelters in the pre-dawn hours. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
Hours later, the military announced that the Air Force had shot down another ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen. No sirens sounded for that attack, in line with existing policy, the IDF said.
The Israeli Air Force struck Sana’a International Airport the next day, destroying the last operational aircraft used by the Houthis. The strike followed a previous Israeli operation on May 6 that targeted the airport.
“This is a clear message and a direct continuation of the policy we established: Whoever fires at the State of Israel will pay a heavy price,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement after the strike.