By Rachel Avraham
The Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel at 7:23am Sunday morning that was successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome. The Times of Israel reported that there were no reports of injuries or damage in the attack, which triggered sirens across Samaria, Central Israel and the greater Jerusalem area. The IDF said the missile was shot down before crossing the country’s borders.
However, Israelis in Modi’in, Even Yehuda, Ramla, Rosh HaAyin, Ramat Gan, Ra’anana, Rehovot, Rishon LeTzion, Petach Tikva, Netanya, Kfar Chabad, Kfar Shmaryahu, Herzliya, Givatayim, Bat Yam, Bnei Brak, Or Yehuda, Tel Aviv, Jaffa and a variety of other locations across Central Israel, the greater Jerusalem area and Samaria were forced to rush to the bomb shelter at the crack of dawn.
The IDF told Arutz Sheva: “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
The Houthis in Yemen have repeatedly launched ballistic missiles at Israel over the last week, since the cease-fire collapsed in the Gaza Strip. Arutz Sheva reported that the Iranian-backed terrorist organization fired missiles at Israel on Thursday morning, Thursday night, and Friday night. On Saturday, a missile launched by the Houthis from Yemen towards Israel fell in Saudi Arabia, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, Saudi sources quoted on one of the Yemeni news channels stated that the US Navy’s air defenses intercepted the missile.
It was the fifth Houthi attack on Israel since the Israel Defense Forces began its renewed offensive against Hamas in Gaza, the Times of Israel reported. Citing an Israeli official, the Ynet news site reported that Washington had asked Israel not to respond to the Houthis’ latest missile attacks. According to the report, the US told Israel to “let them deal with it.”
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told CBS recently about America’s offensive against the Houthis: “We’ve taken out key Houthi leadership, including their chief missileer, weapons depots, communications hubs, and even some of their over-the-water drone facilities, just in the last couple of days. President Trump has decided to hit the Houthis and hit them hard, as opposed to the last administration, when weeks or months would go by after one of these attacks. As a result, we’ve had one of the world’s most critical sea lanes get shut down.”
He noted that the Houthis are much better equipped than some better-known terror organizations. “These guys are like Al-Qaeda or ISIS with advanced cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and some of the most sophisticated air defenses, all provided by Iran.” Houthi air defenses have thus far downed nearly twenty American Reaper drones since the conflict began, each at an estimated cost of $30 million, Arutz Sheva reported.
Waltz detailed some of the resulting impacts on American shipping: “The last time one of our destroyers went through that area, it was attacked twenty-three times. Seventy-five percent of our US-flagged shipping now has to go around Africa instead of through the Suez Canal. Keeping that route open is part of our national security.”
