Israeli military says missile from Yemen’s Houthis intercepted

Jerusalem: The Israeli military intercepted a missile launched by militants in Yemen, which triggered sirens across central and southern Israel, including Tel Aviv, early on Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the Air Force intercepted the missile before it crossed into Israeli territory and that the sirens were sounded “in accordance with protocol,” Xinhua news agency reported.

Houthi forces in Yemen resumed their attacks on Israel, which ended a two-month ceasefire in Gaza and killed more than 400 people in air strikes on the enclave.

On Tuesday, Houthi forces said they launched a ballistic missile toward a military base in southern Israel, which the Israeli military said was intercepted before crossing into the country.

Earlier Yemen’s Houthi group had announced the resumption of attacks against Israeli ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that the attacks were resumed to support the Palestinians and pressure Israel to reopen the border crossings for the entry of aid into Gaza.

Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi issued a four-day ultimatum to Israel, demanding the allowance of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave, or his group would resume naval attacks.

Previously, al-Houthi had warned of resuming attacks on Israeli cities and Israeli-linked commercial vessels in the Red Sea if Israel continued to violate the Gaza ceasefire.

The Houthis had launched numerous drone and missile attacks targeting Israeli cities and commercial ships in the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians between November 2023 and January 19, 2025, when the Hamas-Israel ceasefire took effect.

The group also attacked US aircraft carriers and naval vessels, vowing to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait if the US continued military shipments to Israel.

–IANS