Tensions escalate: Yemen’s Huthi rebels fire ballistic missile at Israel
Yemen’s Huthi rebels announced on Wednesday that they launched a ballistic missile targeting central Israel, marking another escalation in their ongoing solidarity strikes amid the Israel-Palestine conflict. The missile, described by the Huthis as a “Palestine 2” hypersonic ballistic missile, was intercepted by Israeli forces before entering Israeli territory.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied area of Yaffa (Tel Aviv) using a hypersonic ballistic missile, type Palestine 2,” the Huthi military said in a statement. “The operation has successfully achieved its objectives,” the group added.
Air raid sirens blared across central Israel in response to the attack, raising alarms over potential falling debris. However, no injuries or damages were reported. Confirming the interception, the Israeli army wrote on Telegram, “A missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory.”
This marks the latest in a series of missile and drone strikes carried out by the Iran-backed Huthi rebels against Israel since the war in Gaza erupted over a year ago. While most projectiles have been intercepted, some have caused significant damage. A missile strike on Tel Aviv last Saturday injured 16 people, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to issue a stern warning:
“We will act against the Huthis… with force, determination and sophistication,” Netanyahu stated in a video address on Sunday.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, the Israeli army also reported intercepting another projectile fired from Yemen. These repeated attacks have underscored the Huthis’ intensified campaign in the region, which includes targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Such actions have prompted retaliatory strikes by Israeli, US, and occasionally British forces.
The conflict reached a flashpoint in July when a Huthi drone strike on Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, leading to retaliatory strikes on Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.
