Yemenis brandish rifles during a rally in solidarity with Palestinians and the Gaza Strip and condemning Israel and the United States, in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, on May 16, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Huwais/AFP)
The Israeli military said Wednesday it intercepted two missiles fired from Yemen, after Houthi rebels vowed to avenge the killing of their prime minister in an Israeli strike last week.
In two separate statements nearly 10 hours apart, the Israeli military said missiles launched from Yemen were intercepted, with air raid sirens activated both times.
According to the military, the earlier one was the first time a missile launch from Yemen had triggered sirens in Israel since Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi and 11 other senior officials were killed in Israeli strikes on Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Thursday.
Before the second Israeli statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the rebels had fired two missiles at targets in the Tel Aviv area as part of their "initial response to the Israeli aggression against our country."
"Our operations will continue at an escalating pace during the coming period," he added.
The Iran-backed Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks against Israel since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, saying the launches are in support of the Palestinians.
Israel has carried out several rounds of retaliatory strikes in Yemen, targeting Houthi-held ports as well as the capital.
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