Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists on Wednesday twice fired ballistic missiles at Israel, triggering air-raid alerts across the country’s densely-populated center, including Tel Aviv and the Jerusalem area.
At around 7 p.m. local time, interception systems shot down a single missile from Yemen, the Israel Defense Forces announced in Hebrew. The previous missle was intercepted at around 9 a.m.
“Following the alerts that were activated a short time ago in several areas within the country, one missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,” the Israel Defense Forces announced in Hebrew after each launch.
Air-raid sirens were sounded to warn civilians to seek cover “in accordance with policy,” according to the military statement.
The aerial assaults from Yemen sent around 2 million people running for bomb shelters, per the IDF’s Home Front Command.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical response group said it had not immediately received reports of shrapnel impacts or casualties, adding that “updates will follow if necessary.”
The Houthis started attacking the Jewish state in the wake of the Hamas-led invasion and massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. The Yemeni group said it had joined the war in an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians.
The Israeli Air Force on Tuesday intercepted a drone launched by Houthi terrorists from Yemen before it crossed into the Jewish state’s territory, the military announced. No sirens were triggered by the attack.
According to Hebrew reports, the UAV came from the west and was shot down off the central Israeli coast. The attack follows reports that two missiles aimed at Israel earlier on Tuesday had fallen short, exploding in Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, the terrorist group said it had launched a missile at the Israeli-owned tanker Scarlet Ray vessel near Saudi Arabia’s port city of Yanbu. No injuries were reported, and the vessel continued its trip.
Monday’s attack came on the same day that thousands descended on Sanaa for the funerals of 12 Houthi officials killed in an Aug. 28 airstrike.
The IDF and the Houthis confirmed on Saturday that the Houthi prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, and several top Cabinet members were killed in the strike.
Al-Rahawi had served as prime minister to the Houthi-led rebels in Yemeni territory under their control since August 2024. He was the most senior official to be eliminated so far in the 22-month Israeli-Houthi conflict.
