JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said Saturday it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, whose Houthi militants have launched attacks throughout the Gaza war, as well as a drone approaching “from the east.”
“Following the sirens that sounded recently in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted” before “crossing into Israeli territory,” a military statement said.
The Houthis announced a “military operation” targeting the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, claiming that “the missile reached its target.”
In a separate incident, the Israeli military said a drone “that was on its way to Israeli territory from the east was intercepted” by the air force.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree later said the militants fired two drones at Israel and more at the US navy’s Harry S Truman aircraft carrier battle group.
Yemen, large parts of which are under the control of the Iran-backed Houthis, is located to Israel’s southeast.
Other countries to Israel’s east include Iraq, where Tehran-aligned militants have claimed a number of attacks targeting Israel since the Gaza war began.
The Houthi militants have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 in what they say is a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.
The Houthis have also targeted ships they accuse of having ties to Israel as they travel on the Red Sea — a vital waterway for global trade.
They had temporarily paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire in Gaza.
According to Israel’s army radio, the missile intercepted overnight was the 22nd fired by the Houthis since they resumed their attacks after Israel renewed its Gaza offensive on March 18.
Since March 15, Israel’s key ally the United States has stepped up its attacks on the Houthis, targeting militant positions in Yemen with near-daily air strikes.
Israel says intercepted missile from Yemen, drone ‘from the east’
https://arab.news/2us4t
Israel says intercepted missile from Yemen, drone ‘from the east’
- “A missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted” before “crossing into Israeli territory,” a military statement said
- The Houthis announced a “military operation” targeting the Nevatim air base in southern Israel
Iraqi Kurdistan leader welcomes Syrian decree recognising Kurdish rights
- Remarks followed issuance of presidential decree by Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa
- Decree affirmed Syrian Kurds form integral part of the Syrian people
ERBIL: The President of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, on Saturday welcomed a new Syrian presidential decree recognising the country’s Kurdish population, Syrian state media reported.
Barzani described the move as a significant political and legal step toward building a new Syria, the Syrian Arab News Agency added.
In a statement, Barzani expressed support for efforts aimed at establishing a Syrian state that represents all its communities without discrimination or marginalization.
His remarks followed the issuance on Friday of a presidential decree by Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
The decree affirmed that Syrian Kurds are an integral part of the Syrian people and that their cultural and linguistic identity forms an inseparable component of Syria’s unified and diverse national identity, SANA reported.
The decree also formally recognized the Kurdish language and restores Syrian citizenship to all Kurdish Syrians.
The announcement came after clashes erupted last week in the northern city of Aleppo, leaving at least 23 people dead, according to Syria’s health ministry, and forcing more than 150,000 people to flee two Kurdish-run areas of the city.
The fighting ended after Kurdish fighters withdrew and Syrian army forces retook control of the area.
