IDF intercepts Houthi missile after massive US strikes on Iran-backed Yemeni rebels
Some Israelis injured rushing to shelter, ambulance service says; sirens across central Israel and West Bank preceded by glitchy first-ever use of early warning system
A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses Friday morning, the military said, adding that it was probing glitches in an early alert system it had just rolled out.
There were no immediate reports of injuries as a direct result of the attack. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it had fielded calls about people injured while rushing to a shelter.
Firefighters battled a large blaze in the Jerusalem hills, close to the city of Beit Shemesh, apparently sparked by shrapnel from an interceptor missile that fell near the Netifim Cave, also known as the Soreq or Absalom Cave. The tourist site was briefly closed due to the fire, which was successfully extinguished after several hours.
Palestinian media also reported that shrapnel from an interceptor missile was found close to Beit Fajjar, near Bethlehem in the southern West Bank.
The missile launch came after Houthi media reported dozens of people were killed overnight in US strikes on western Yemen’s Ras Isa fuel port, which is held by the Iran-backed rebels. It was the deadliest strike yet in the US bombing campaign against Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.
Sirens sounded at about 6:36 a.m. across central Israel, in the Jerusalem area, including parts of the capital, and in some West Bank settlements. Flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport were slightly delayed following the sirens, the Ynet news site reported.
For the first time, the IDF Home Front Command used a new system to alert civilians of the missile attack via a push notification on their phones 3-5 minutes before sirens sounded. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit also issued, for the first time, an early statement about the missile launch, some four minutes before the sirens sounded.
החל מהיום:
פיקוד העורף יתריע מראש ויאפשר זמן היערכות לירי מתימןלכל הפרטים:https://t.co/FOCUX5QtXT pic.twitter.com/tzGY3M5jqE
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 17, 2025
However, some Israelis reported that they did not receive the early alert. The IDF acknowledged that the early warning system did not work correctly in some areas, resulting in civilians not receiving the notification.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched more than 20 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. About half of the missiles fell short of Israel, while others set off sirens in the country before being shot down.
The Houthis — whose slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
Until the January 2025 ceasefire was reached, the Iran-backed rebels fired some 40 ballistic missiles and several attack drones at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July. Israel carried out several strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen in response to the attacks.
Meanwhile, the Houthis attacked Israeli and other ships in nearby waters, disturbing global shipping lanes, in what the rebels said were acts of solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians during the war with Hamas. The rebels targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign.
???? Initial footage of the American aggression's crime targeting the Ras Isa oil port, resulting in the martyrdom of several individuals and the injury of dozens of port workers and employees.
pic.twitter.com/SwYVNfOErO https://t.co/PN5bGu8qxx
— Yemen Military ???????? (@Yemenimilitary) April 17, 2025
The Houthis also repeatedly targeted American and Western warships, sparking the most serious combat the Navy had seen since World War II, and drawing several counterstrikes by a coalition comprising the US, United Kingdom and other nations.
The Gaza ceasefire deal’s 42-day first phase expired at midnight between March 1 and 2. Israel had largely refused to negotiate the second phase, which would have required the IDF to withdraw from Gaza. On March 2, Israel halted the flow of aid to Gaza, citing Hamas’s refusal to extend the first phase. Following the aid halt, the Houthis’ secretive leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi threatened to resume attacks on Israel if it did not let aid into Gaza.
The attacks have greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems, and they have also launched a crackdown targeting any internal dissent, as well as targeting foreign aid workers, amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war, which has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation. The war against Yemen’s Saudi-backed government left the Houthis in control of the capital Sanaa and much of the country’s western coast.
Agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.