Israeli forces intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen, the Israel Defense Forces said in a short statement posted on social media Sunday.
Washington
Israel intercepts missile from Yemen after airstrikes on Houthi port
The missile did not cross into Israeli territory, but “warnings of rocket and missile fire” were issued out of concern over shrapnel that could fall on Israeli citizens, the IDF said.
Although it was not immediately clear who had launched the missile, a Houthi military spokesman had vowed retaliation for Israel’s airstrikes Saturday on Hodeida, a port city in Yemen controlled by the Houthis. Spokesman Yahya Saree said the Israeli raids had struck the port, a power station and fuel tank.
Those Israeli strikes were a direct response to a rare drone attack on Tel Aviv on Friday for which the Houthis claimed responsibility. The attack killed one person and struck just yards from a U.S. Embassy branch office.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli response to the drone attack made “it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the State of Israel will not reach.”
Since the war in Gaza began in October last year, the Houthis have been attacking ships sailing near the Yemeni coast. Those attacks are aimed at convincing Israel to end its military operations in Gaza, the group has said. A U.S.-led naval task force has been responding to those assaults but has failed to halt them.