Jerusalem, May 23 (IANS) Israel’s military has said that a missile launched from Yemen had been intercepted by the country’s aerial defence system, marking the second missile attack by Houthi forces on Israel within the same day.
The missile, launched around Thursday noon, triggered air raid sirens in the Jerusalem area, several settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the Dead Sea region, Israeli police said.
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service reported that no injuries were sustained, Xinhua news agency reported.
“A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,” the military said in a statement, adding that sirens were activated “in accordance with protocol”.
Overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, the military also intercepted another missile launched from Yemen toward Israel.
Houthi forces in Yemen have pledged to cease attacks on US vessels but have continued firing missiles at Israel, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The ongoing Israeli offensive, which began 19 months ago, has resulted in the deaths of more than 53,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Israel has conducted a series of retaliatory airstrikes in Yemen, including one in May on the capital, Sanaa, which damaged the main international airport and left several people dead.
The Houthis took responsibility for both missile attacks, saying it had targeted Ben Gurion Airport.
The Iran-backed group also claimed to have launched two drones at Israel Thursday overnight. There were no reports of drones reaching Israel from Yemen on Wednesday.
On Friday, the Israeli Air Force struck the Houthi-controlled Hodeida and Salif ports in Yemen in response to the Iran-backed group’s repeated attacks on Israel.
The Houthis vowed to respond.
Earlier this month, a Houthi missile slipped through air defences and landed in the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport, injuring six people, none of them seriously.
A slew of international carriers promptly halted services to Israel, though some have since said they will resume operations.
Israel responded to that attack with strikes on Sanaa airport, causing an estimated $500 million worth of damage.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, (and) a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and general maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.
The Houthis held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had fired more than 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 37 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.
–IANS
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