The Israel Defense Forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Houthi terrorists in Yemen early on Thursday morning, the military announced.
The attack triggered air-raid sirens across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as well as throughout Judea and Samaria, sending millions of civilians rushing to bomb shelters just before dawn.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
On Monday, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a drone launched from Yemen, hours after the Iranian-backed terror group fired two ballistic missiles at Israel—the second such barrage in 24 hours.
Overnight Saturday, the IDF intercepted another Houthi ballistic missile, setting off air-raid sirens across Judea and the Dead Sea area.
The Houthis have in recent weeks escalated their aerial attacks on Israel in support of the Hamas terrorist organization, including a direct hit near Ben-Gurion International Airport on May 4.
In response, IAF fighter jets carried out a series of airstrikes overnight Sunday, targeting Houthi infrastructure in Yemen—including facilities at the ports of Al Hudaydah, Ras Isa, and Salif, as well as a power plant.
“These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the State of Israel and its allies,” said the IDF.
In addition to ramping up their attacks on the Jewish state, the Houthis have also resumed missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Speaking to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, Dorothy Shea, the interim U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, condemned the recent maritime and missile attacks by Houthi terrorists.
“The Houthis continue to be a destabilizing presence in the region,” she said. “In recent days, the Houthis have attacked two commercial vessels in the Red Sea, leading to the loss of life, injury to sailors and sinking of a cargo ship, Magic Seas.”
Shea also condemned the joint efforts of the Houthis and the Iranian regime in firing missiles at Israel, adding that the United States would continue to support the Jewish state.
“Israel has the right to defend itself,” she said. “And we stand with Israel in its right to self-defense against the Houthis.”
The ambassador then called on the council to renew U.N. resolutions regarding the Houthis, including the “immediate” appointment of an arms expert to the Yemen Panel of Experts, “a critical tool in providing this council with information about violations of the arms embargo.
“Iran enables the Houthis to attack Israel, threaten and blackmail our partners in the Gulf, and to play a role in Iran’s terror networks across the wider Middle East region,” Shea said. “This council must not tolerate Iran’s violations of its resolutions.”
