A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military said Sunday, in what has recently become an almost daily occurrence.
The missile set off sirens shortly after 4:50 p.m. across central Israel, the Jerusalem area and several West Bank settlements, sending millions to bomb shelters a few hours before the start of the Shavuot holiday.
Preceding the sirens by about four minutes, an early warning was issued by the Home Front Command to residents, alerting them of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.
There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attack.
The Houthis took responsibility for the missile fire, claiming to have targeted Ben Gurion Airport. Earlier this month, a Houthi missile slipped through air defenses and hit the grounds of the airport, injuring six people, none of them seriously.
Sunday’s missile fire came after Israel carried out an airstrike in Yemen last Wednesday, targeting the Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport and destroying a plane that was in use by the Iran-backed terror group.
A separate strike earlier this month destroyed the airport’s terminal and six planes, and left craters on its runway, according to Yemeni authorities. The airfield reopened for a flight 11 days later.
Also this month, 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 and have since continued their missile attacks.
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.
They held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025.
By that point, they had fired over 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 43 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.