Houthis fire two missiles at Israel, triggering sirens in Haifa and across north

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Friday fired two ballistic missiles at Israel, both of which were intercepted by air defenses, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The first missile triggered sirens at around 5:30 a.m. in Haifa and across northern Israel. The IDF said the missile was shot down by air defenses before crossing Israel’s borders.

Debris from the missile interception penetrated the roof of a kindergarten at Kibbutz Mishmar Ha’emek, causing some damage.

The second missile also set off sirens in Haifa and the north, just after 1:30 p.m. Several hours later, following an “in-depth” inquiry, the IDF said it had confirmed that the second missile was also successfully intercepted.

No injuries were caused in either attack, aside from a 40-year-old woman who was slightly hurt when she fell over while running to a bomb shelter, medics said.

שברי מיירט של הטיל ששוגר מתימן חדרו את גג הרעפים בגן ילדים, בקיבוץ משמר העמק שבעמק יזרעאל

צילום: המועצה האזורית מגידו pic.twitter.com/YAFUKFrdtC

— Yael Hadad | יעל חדאד (@Yael_Hadad97) May 2, 2025

The attacks marked only the second and third times that missiles from Yemen set off sirens in the north.

Following the first attack, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed that the missile was launched at the Ramat David Airbase in northern Israel, southwest of Nazareth.

The Houthis also claimed the second attack, saying it targeted Haifa.

In both attacks, preceding the sirens by some six minutes, early alert warnings were issued to a wide area in northern Israel, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attacks via a push notification on their phones.

The new alert system, which was recently activated, has faced teething trouble of either not sending alerts or sending out warnings over a wider area than the sirens cover. Friday’s early alerts were more accurate than previous attempts to use the system.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 25 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. Only around half of them triggered sirens in the country and were shot down, while the others fell short.

Seems like the IDF has made the early warning system for Houthi missiles much more accurate. A comparison of where an early warning push notification was sent at 5:25 a.m., vs. where sirens sounded at 5:31-5:33 a.m. pic.twitter.com/NX3h8eWy1H

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 2, 2025

The sirens often send hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushing to shelters at all hours of the night, causing a number of injuries in the scramble. The sirens are a precaution against falling debris from intercepts that have occasionally caused injuries, death, and damage.

The Houthis — whose slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, a Curse on the Jews” — first began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas attack.

In recent weeks, the United States has been carrying out massive airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthis, targeting their leadership and infrastructure.