Houthis
fire first ballistic missile at Israel in 2 months, warn of more in coming days
Projectile
shot down by Arrow defense system over Saudi Arabia; Iran-backed group says it
will expand targets unless Israel halts renewed aerial campaign on Gaza
By Emanuel
Fabian Follow
and Nurit
Yohanan Follow
18 Mar 2025,
10:21 pm
The Houthi
rebels launched a ballistic missile at Israel from Yemen Tuesday evening,
marking the first attack from the Iran-backed group since the ceasefire came
into effect in the Gaza Strip two months ago.
The Israel
Defense Forces said it had successfully intercepted the missile before it could
reach Israel’s borders, shooting it down with the long-range Arrow defense
system over Saudi Arabia.
It
nevertheless sent thousands running for shelter, with sirens blaring in
numerous towns across southern Israel, including Beersheba and Dimona.
The Houthi’s
military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed a short while later that the rebel group
had attacked the Nevatim air base in the Negev desert with a Palestine-2
ballistic missile.
He warned
that they would continue to expand their range of targets in Israel in the
coming hours and days unless Israel were to halt its renewed aerial campaign in
the Gaza Strip.
“Yemen, its
leadership, people, and army will not stand idly by while witnessing all the
massacres against our people in Gaza,” Saree said in a televised address.
In the early
hours of Tuesday morning, Israel launched a shock offensive in the Gaza Strip,
shattering the fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January 19.
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the resumption of fighting was a result
of Hamas’s “repeated refusal” to release additional Israeli hostages.
At least 404
Palestinians have been killed so far, including children, according to
unverified figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which doesn’t
differentiate between civilians and combatants. It said another 562 were
wounded.
The Houthi
missile fire on Tuesday was the first since January 18, as the Yemeni rebel
group said that it would halt its attacks on Israel and global shipping routes
for as long as the ceasefire in Gaza remained in effect.
Even before
Tuesday, the Houthis had threatened to resume attacks on “any Israeli vessel”
transiting through the region, after Israel imposed a blockade of humanitarian
aid to the Gaza Strip on March 2.
The Israeli
Air Force raised its level of alert due to the threat and then raised it again
on Sunday after the White House launched large-scale strikes in Yemen,
targeting leaders and senior members of the Iran-backed group.
The US
strikes killed 53 people and wounded 98 on Saturday, according to the
Houthi-run health ministry.
The Houthis
began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after
fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas stormed southern Israel on October 7,
2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, sparking the war in
Gaza.
The
Iran-backed rebels fired some 40 ballistic missiles from November 2023 until
just days before Israel reached the ceasefire-hostage deal with Hamas. The
Houthis also launched several attack drones at Israel, including one that
killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July. Responding to
the attacks, Israel has carried out several strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen.
Meanwhile,
the Houthis attacked Israeli and other ships in nearby waters, disturbing
global shipping lanes, in what the rebels said were acts of solidarity with
Gaza’s Palestinians during the war with Hamas.
The rebels
targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two
vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign.
Agencies
contributed to this report.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário