JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said Friday it intercepted two missiles in 12 hours fired toward its territory from Yemen, with Iran-backed Houthi militants claiming both attacks.
An explosion was heard over Jerusalem as the Israeli military said it was intercepting the second projectile.
“The (army) has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory. Aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military said of the second attack.
It later said it had “successfully intercepted” the missile.
Israeli police reported a “rocket siren” was activated in northern and coastal districts and said they were searching for possible impact sites.
The military said the first missile was shot down before it entered Israeli airspace.
The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, claimed responsibility for both the attacks.
The militants have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 2023 assault.
The Houthis are part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and the United States, presenting themselves as defenders of Palestinians in Gaza.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group’s “support operations will continue until the aggression against Gaza ceases and the siege is lifted.”
Late Friday in a separate incident, the Israeli military said it intercepted a drone launched “from the east.” It did not elaborate.
The Houthis have also repeatedly targeted merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, drawing retaliatory strikes by Israel, the United States and Britain.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the United States has intensified its bombing campaign against the Houthis, launching almost daily strikes for more than a month.
Houthi media said this week that US strikes on the movement’s northern stronghold of Saada killed at least 68 people — all Africans being held at a center for “illegal migrants.”
The United States said last month that its strikes since March 15 had hit more than 1,000 targets in Yemen and killed “hundreds of Houthi fighters.”
On Friday, the Houthi-run Saba news agency said three people were wounded in a US air strike in Al-Wahda district the previous night, citing a preliminary toll.