Israel military intercepts Houthi missile fired from Yemen

Israel sounded sirens in several cities, including Jerusalem, on Tuesday as the military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, with Houthi rebels later claiming the attack.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the Israeli air force", the military said in a statement.

The Houthis later claimed the attack, saying they had fired a missile at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv.

On Sunday, Houthi rebels said they will target merchant ships belonging to any company that does business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality, as part of what they say is a new phase of their operations against Israel.

The Houthis said they had “decided to escalate their military support operations and begin implementing the fourth phase of the naval blockade” against Israel.

They warned that they would target “all ships belonging to any company that deals with the ports of the Israeli enemy, regardless of the nationality of that company, and in any location within the reach of our armed forces.” The vessels would be targeted regardless of their destination, they added.

The group said countries should pressure Israel to stop the war in Gaza and lift its blockade on the Palestinian territory “if they want to avoid this escalation.”

Earlier this month, the Houthis attacked and sank two Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carriers – the Magic Seas and the Eternity C.

The attack on the latter killed four crew members and 11 others were taken captive. All 22 crew members of the Magic Seas were rescued before the ship sank.

The group released a video on Monday evening, showing the 11 captured Eternity C crew members. The footage, the first of its kind since the Houthi attacks started, shows the crew being taken off the boat as well as interviews with the captives.

From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones.

The rebels stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war and later became the target of an intense, weekslong airstrike campaign ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In May, the United States announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to shipping attacks, although the rebel group said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched repeated missile and drone attacks against Israel since the onset of the war on Gaza on 7 October 2023.

The Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, paused their attacks during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza that ended in March, but renewed them after Israel resumed major operations.

Israel has carried out several retaliatory strikes in Yemen, targeting Houthi-held ports and the airport in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.