Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, announced on Saturday that they had fired a ballistic missile towards Israel. The group said the strike was in retaliation for Israel’s actions against Palestinians during the ongoing war in Gaza.
In Israel, air raid sirens rang out across parts of the country as the missile approached. The Israeli military later reported that the missile had “most likely been successfully intercepted” before causing any harm.
This marks the first missile attack on Israel claimed by the Houthis since the 24 June ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which brought an end to their brief 12-day conflict.
Rebel military spokesperson Yahya Saree confirmed in a statement that the group had targeted “a sensitive Israeli enemy site in the occupied area of Beersheba” with a Dhu al-Fiqar ballistic missile.
Saree described the attack as a direct response to what he called “the crimes of the criminal Zionist enemy against civilians in the Gaza Strip”.
Since Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel in October 2023 ignited the Gaza war, the Houthis have launched several missile and drone strikes in support of their Palestinian allies. Although the rebels had halted their attacks during a two-month truce that ended in March, they resumed operations after Israel renewed its offensive.
In turn, Israel has carried out retaliatory strikes on Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, including ports and Sanaa’s airport.
Saree vowed that the Houthis would “continue their supportive operations until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted”.
