Yemen’s Houthis launch rare missile attack on northern Israel | Conflict News

Israel says the ballistic missile has been intercepted without causing any injuries.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched a ballistic missile towards northern Israel, according to the Israeli military, which claimed to have shot down the projectile without causing any injuries.

Shortly after 4am local time (01:00 GMT) on Wednesday, the Israeli army said that the missile triggered air raid sirens in Haifa, Krayot and other areas west of the Sea of Galilee.

This area is a rare target for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who continue to be the target of an intense United States air strike campaign.

Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, the Houthis have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel in what they say is a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.

The rebel group controls swaths of Yemen, and Israel has struck Houthi targets several times inside the country, including in the capital, Sanaa.

The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.

US attacks

Meanwhile, US air strikes, part of an almost daily campaign that began on March 15, continued targeting the Houthis on Wednesday morning. The Houthis reported US strikes on the Hodeidah, Marib and Saada governorates.

In Marib, the Houthis described a strike hitting telecommunications equipment, which had previously been a US target.

The Houthis, in response, have stepped up their targeting of US drones flying over the country. Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said late on Tuesday that the rebels had shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen’s northwest Hajjah governorate.

MQ-9 Reaper drones, which cost about $30m apiece, can fly at altitudes of more than 40,000 feet (12,100 metres) and remain in the air for more than 30 hours.

The US military and CIA have flown them for years over Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Yemen.

The Houthis claim to have downed 26 MQ-9s over the past decade of the Yemen war.

The US military acknowledged the report of the drone being downed but said it could not comment further.

The US military says it is targeting Houthi “terrorists” to stop attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and Israel.