Intercepted in midair, Saturday morning missile launch from Yemen wakes up southern Israel

Missile launched from Yemen intercepted by Israeli defense systems after sirens sounded across southern cities, causing no injuries or damage; Incident comes days after ceasefire with Iran and follows limited Houthi involvement during recent conflict

Yoav Zitun, Ilana Curiel|
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IDF has announced on Saturday morning that a launch from Yemen had been detected. At 7:10 a.m., sirens warning of incoming missiles and rockets were activated across wide areas of southern Israel — including Be’er Sheva, the Dead Sea region, Arad, and Dimona. At 7:25 a.m., IDF spokesperson confirmed the missile was intercepted.
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Demonstration in Yemen in support of Houthis
Demonstration in Yemen in support of Houthis
Demonstration in Yemen in support of Houthis
(Photo: Reuters)
Immediately upon detecting the launch, IDF stated: “Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat.” A few minutes after the sirens were triggered, the Home Front Command announced: “The event has ended.” Meanwhile, Magen David Adom (Israel’s national emergency service) reported no injuries and no known impacts.
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The missile from Yemen was launched four days after the ceasefire in the war with Iran went into effect. Last Thursday, the Houthis fired a missile at Israel in the evening hours — a pattern they had followed every Thursday in the weeks leading up to the operation in Iran. That missile fell short en route to Israel, so no sirens were triggered within Israeli territory.
While Iran launched heavy barrages of missiles at Israel daily during the “12-Day War,” the Houthi rebels were notably restrained in joining the attacks — surprising senior Israeli officials. Israeli analysts speculated that the relatively few Houthi launches during the war may have been due to the attempted assassination of the Houthi military chief of staff on June 14, Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, who was critically wounded in an Israeli strike. His current condition has not been officially disclosed.
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Shayetet 13 preparing to hit Hodeidah port
(צילום: דובר צה"ל)
An Israeli official revealed that “The Houthi chief of staff had come to a meeting to chew khat, and that’s when we hit him. This is not a joke.” A Yemeni security source told Ynet after the attempted assassination that al-Ghamari also headed the terrorist organization’s missile program. The strike targeted his meeting headquarters, located in an upscale neighborhood. At the time, Houthis were documented setting up checkpoints, and ambulances were dispatched to the area.
Earlier, about three days before the war with Iran began, Israeli Navy ships struck targets at the port of Hodeidah. According to the IDF, the port was “used to transfer weapons and serves as an example of the Houthi terror regime’s cynical use of civilian infrastructure.”
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