Millions of Israelis took to shelters in the early hours of Thursday morning as Yemen’s Houthis stepped up air attacks on Israel while the US continues to hit deep into the Iran-backed militant group's infrastructure.
"A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF [Israeli Air Force] prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol," a statement from the Israeli military said referring to the incident shortly before 4am Thursday.
The Houthis said the missile was a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile in a statement on their Telegram channel after having been banned from X in the wake of the US returning the group to the list of foreign terrorist organizations in January.
The Houthis said Thursday morning’s missile was aiming at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, forcing flights including those from London and Abu Dhabi to re-route and raising questions about the recent return of commercial flights to the Jewish state.
The latest missile attack on Israel comes amid US strikes on Houthi infrastructure including in the capital they control, Sanaa, as President Donald Trump vowed to crack down on the Iran-backed militants currently targeting US assets in the Red Sea, in addition to its ongoing blockade of commercial shipping.
On Monday, Trump threatened to hold Iran accountable for any future Houthi attacks, warning of “dire” consequences in spite of military and political figures in Tehran maintaining that the group operates independently.
On Wednesday, he said it is not enough for Iran to reduce its support of Houthis and all arms provisions must end, citing reports that Tehran has rolled back its supplies to the Yemen group.
The Houthis' military actions were triggered by the resumption of fighting in Gaza this week as Israel vows to use military force to bring back the nearly 60 Israeli hostages, many of whom have been killed in captivity since being held by Iran-backed Hamas since October 7 2023, after a US-brokered ceasefire collapsed.
In allegiance with Hamas, the Houthis have carried out over 100 attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea region since November 2023 along with dozens of missile and drone attacks directly targeting Israel. After a near two-month lull, they have resumed attacks, notably targeting Iran's regional adversary.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed Houthis claims that they had fired a ballistic missile towards Israel, warning they would expand their range of targets in the coming days.
In the largest military operation since Trump's return to office, the Pentagon reported striking 30 targets in Yemen since Saturday. Subsequently, the Houthis claimed multiple direct attacks on the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea, beginning Sunday.
In a Foreign Policy article, Royal United Services Institute fellows Burcu Ozcelik and Baraa Shiban argued that while Iran’s largest ally Hezbollah has been weakened, the Houthis have stepped into the breach.
“While Hezbollah has retreated to rebuild its military capabilities, the Houthis have shown resolve to step up, issuing ultimatums to Israel and acting brazenly to consolidate their domestic grip on power,” they said.
“The Houthis see themselves as playing the role that Hezbollah once played.”
The Yemen experts say that additionally, the Houthis have increased their footprint in Iraq, with their members being embedded with Shiite Iraqi militias, which has also helped them created new and plug into existing shell companies to benefit from the Iraqi financial system that operates “at the behest of Iranian interests”.
“Iran has helped the Houthis in proliferating drones and ballistic missiles. Tehran views the group as a valuable ally and will not shy from directing the IRGC’s efforts to bolster the Houthis’ capabilities even as Iran is under pressure domestically after expenditures in the billions of dollars to prop up Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Assad regime,” they added.
However, with Trump’s determination to punish Iran for the Houthis’ actions, the situation could become more complex.
“In the short term, the Houthis are gaining some recognition and can sustain if they are not facing strong military pressure—something that can change under the Trump administration,” they said.
