CNN
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Israel’s military intercepted a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels early Thursday, the second to target Israel since the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire, as the United States’ intensifies airstrikes against the Iran-backed militant group.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for what it said was a ballistic missile fired in support of Palestinians and in response to Israel’s renewed bombardment of Gaza, which has killed almost 500 people in the strip since the fragile truce shattered on Tuesday.
Sirens sounded in several areas across Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israeli authorities said.
The missile was intercepted before it entered Israeli territory, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). No injuries were immediately reported, Israel’s emergency service said.
The Houthis said the missile targeted Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s main aviation hub on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
The group also claimed to target the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and a number of US warships in the Red Sea with an unspecified number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.
The Houthis’ launch came after the latest US strikes targeted Yemen on Wednesday and early into Thursday, including in the capital Sanaa, as President Donald Trump threatened the Houthis in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying the rebel group “will be completely annihilated.”
The Houthis, whose drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping have significantly impacted global trade since late 2023, earlier said they will continue their assaults on American and Israeli interests until hostilities cease in Gaza. The group had paused its attacks when the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was declared in January.
Dozens of people have been reported killed in Yemen since Trump ordered “decisive” military action against the Houthis late last week.
On Wednesday, US strikes on Sanaa injured seven women and two children in a residential neighborhood, the Houthi-run health ministry said.
US strikes also targeted the western province of Al-Jawf on Wednesday and Hodeidah and Saada early Thursday, the Houthis said.
Video from Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV shows Yemeni civil defense teams extinguishing blazing fires in the aftermath of the strikes, damaged buildings and vehicles, and two children with blood on their bodies and clothes.
The US Central Command did not clarify specific locations it targeted in Yemen but confirmed Wednesday that its forces “continue 24/7 operations against the Iran-backed Houthis.”
US strikes over the weekend killed at least 53 people and wounded nearly 100 others in Yemen, including women and children, the Houthi-run health ministry said, according to Al-Masirah TV.
Middle East on edge
Israel’s return to war against Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza has heightened tensions in the Middle East, reigniting fears of a wider regional conflict.
As the US strikes hit Yemen, Trump warned Iran to stop sending military supplies to the Houthis “immediately.”
“Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had launched a “targeted” ground offensive in Gaza, partially recapturing a key area in the territory, a day after launching an aerial bombardment of the strip that shattered the fragile two-month-old ceasefire with Hamas.
The operation included expanding Israeli control “further to the center of the Netzarim Corridor,” the military said. The corridor is a key strip of land that splits Gaza in half, dividing the central Gaza City and northern Gaza from the southern parts of the strip that borders Egypt.
Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday killed more than 400 people in Gaza, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry, making it one of the war’s deadliest days. Since then, dozens more Palestinians have been killed in strikes across the enclave.
The Civil Defense in Gaza has further warned of an imminent famine, as Israel’s nearly three-week long blockade of humanitarian aid worsens already dire conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
This is a developing story and will be updated.