Posted by Latest attack since Israeli strikes in Yemen and ceasefire between Iran-backed group and US causes no direct damage or injuries; Katz warns Israel will respond
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Israelis on Tel Aviv beach run for safety as missile sirens sound, May 9, 2025. A missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen was intercepted beyond Israel’s borders. (X screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Friday afternoon fired a ballistic missile at Israel, triggering sirens across central Israel, in the third attack on the country since the Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes against the Iran-backed group earlier this week.
The Israel Defense Forces reported that the missile was successfully intercepted by air defenses.
There were no reports of injuries or damage caused directly by the attack.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel would respond.
“The Houthis continue to launch Iranian missiles at Israel. As we promised, we will respond strongly in Yemen and anywhere else necessary,” he said in a statement.
A security source told The Times of Israel that the missile was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow long-range air defense system. The American THAAD system deployed to Israel also engaged the missile but missed, for the second time this week, the source said.
On Sunday, a THAAD interceptor missed a Houthi missile fired at Israel, while an Arrow interceptor malfunctioned, allowing the projectile to strike the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport, prompting Israel to launch two attacks on the Iran-backed group in Yemen.
In Friday’s attack, sirens sounded at 4:25 p.m. across central Israel. Preceding the sirens by some three minutes, an early alert warning was issued to a wide area in central Israel, including Jerusalem, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.
The new phone alert system, which was recently activated, has faced teething trouble, sometimes not sending alerts or sending out warnings over a wider area than needed and that the sirens cover.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center), Defense Minister Israel Katz (left) and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir oversee airstrikes in Yemen, at the Defense Ministry headquarters, Tel Aviv, May 5, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
The Friday attack came three days after the US announced that it had reached a ceasefire with the Yemeni terror group.
Houthi officials made clear that the deal, in which they agreed to stop targeting US maritime activity in the Red Sea in exchange for an end to weeks of intense US airstrikes, did not include any agreement to stop firing at Israel or ships linked to the Jewish state.
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