The Houthis fired two ballistic missiles towards the Arava Valley and the Dead Sea.
By Rachel Avraham
At 4:50am on Sunday morning, the Houthis fired two ballistic missiles towards Arava and the Dead Sea. The IDF added that the missile was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, the Jerusalem Post reported. There were no reports of injury or damage in the attack, the Times of Israel added.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit told Arutz Sheva, “The IDF has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat. The public is instructed to follow the guidelines issued by the Home Front Command.” In a subsequent update, the IDF said, “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the areas of the Arava and the Dead Sea, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted.”
Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, later claimed that the missile was launched at the Nevatim Airbase in the Negev desert, the second day in a row the terror group has claimed to target the site, the Times of Israel reported.
On Sunday afternoon, JNS reported that the IDF said it intercepted an attack drone fired at Israel “from the east,” a phrase the military typically uses in reference to attacks originating from Yemen or Iraq. “In accordance with policy, alerts were not triggered,” the army added.
This came after sirens sounded in Be’er Sheva and nearby areas at 2:45 a.m. Saturday morning, Arutz Sheva reported. The IDF confirmed, “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted. The missile was intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
Hours later on Saturday, Arutz Sheva reported that a UAV arriving from the east was intercepted outside Israel; no sirens were sounded. Over Shabbat, Arutz Sheva reported that the Houthis claimed that they launched two missiles towards Israel, one of which “targeted a vital Israeli enemy target in the occupied area of Yaffa (Jaffa),” and the second which “targeted a vital Israeli enemy target in the occupied Ashkelon area.”
Last Wednesday, a ballistic missile from Yemen triggered sirens in northern Israel, JNS reported. “An interceptor was launched toward the missile, and the missile was most likely successfully intercepted,” the IDF said. According to the report, several people were treated for minor injuries sustained while running to shelter.
The Houthis, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization based in Yemen, have intensified attacks on Israel since the October 7th massacre, following the onset of the war between Israel and Hamas. The terror group, officially known as Ansar Allah, receives military and financial support from the Islamic Republic of Iran and was redesignated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the Trump administration last January, JNS reported.
In response to repeated Houthi strikes on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and on Israeli territory, the United States launched “Operation Rough Rider,” a large-scale campaign of air and naval strikes, on March 15, JNS reported. According to the report, this effort, the most significant American action in the region during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, aims to degrade Houthi capabilities. Despite U.S. and Israeli countermeasures, Houthi missile and drone attacks have continued, prompting air-raid sirens in central and northern Israel in recent weeks, JNS added.
