The IDF intercepted a Houthi missile that was fired at Southern Israel over Shabbat.
By Rachel Avraham
The Jerusalem Post reported that sirens sounded across the Negev on Saturday morning. According to the report, the IDF said it had detected and attempted to intercept the missile in what is the first attack in four days since the ceasefire with Iran began on June 24. The Jerusalem Post reported that the Houthis back Hamas and have vowed to continue attacking Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the IDF said around 7 a.m. that it had “identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory; aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat. The public is requested to follow the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines.”
Twenty minutes later, the IDF said that “following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, one missile was launched from Yemen. An interceptor was launched toward the missile, and the missile was most likely successfully intercepted. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
However, the Houthis claimed the contrary. In a statement, the Iran-backed terror group claims to have targeted a “sensitive Israeli enemy target” in Beersheba, where sirens had sounded, the Times of Israel reported. “The operation successfully achieved its goal, thanks be to Allah,” the Houthis allege, the Times of Israel noted.
During Operation Rising Lion, the Houthis took a back seat, and did not fire missiles for a week and a half, and were likely consolidating themselves and letting the Iranians do their dirty work. But now, with Iran out of the picture due to a US-backed ceasefire, the Houthis may rejoin the fight.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel has threatened Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization, which has been attacking Israel, with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist. According to the report, since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel and attacking ships in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade. According to the report, most of the dozens of missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes, yet the Houthis were not hit as badly as the Iranians were, which enables them to keep firing at Israel. A day before the Houthis’ most recent missile strike, the Jerusalem Post reported that Yemen’s information minister, Moammar al-Eryani, who governs in an area of Yemen not controlled by the Houthis, accused Iran of attempting to relocate parts of its military industry to territory controlled by the Houthis, which he said would endanger global shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden. According to the report, Eryani said that Tehran’s plan includes the production of ballistic missiles and drones in the northern governorates of Sa’da and Hajjah, as well as areas surrounding Yemen’s capital, Sana’a.
“International complacency in the face of these measures will cost the region and the world dearly, and give Iran the opportunity to consolidate a dangerous reality by turning Yemen into a workshop for developing its prohibited programs and an advanced missile base for the IRGC,” he told the Jerusalem Post.
