IDF says it shot down Houthi missile that triggered sirens across central Israel
Latest attack since Israeli strikes in Yemen and ceasefire between Iran-backed group and US causes no direct damage or injuries; Katz warns Israel will respond
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Friday afternoon fired a ballistic missile at Israel, triggering sirens across central Israel, in the third attack on the country since the Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes against the Iran-backed group earlier this week.
The Israel Defense Forces reported that the missile was successfully intercepted by air defenses.
There were no reports of injuries or damage caused directly by the attack.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel would respond.
“The Houthis continue to launch Iranian missiles at Israel. As we promised, we will respond strongly in Yemen and anywhere else necessary,” he said in a statement.
A security source told The Times of Israel that the missile was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow long-range air defense system. The American THAAD system deployed to Israel also engaged the missile but missed, for the second time this week, the source said.
Tel Aviv beach as red alerts sounded during a Houthi ballistic missile attack.
The missile was successfully intercepted by the arrow system. https://t.co/lBmDJ1OjoL pic.twitter.com/N6QnFIqXDK
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 9, 2025
On Sunday, a THAAD interceptor missed a Houthi missile fired at Israel, while an Arrow interceptor malfunctioned, allowing the projectile to strike the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport, prompting Israel to launch two attacks on the Iran-backed group in Yemen.
In Friday’s attack, sirens sounded at 4:25 p.m. across central Israel. Preceding the sirens by some three minutes, an early alert warning was issued to a wide area in central Israel, including Jerusalem, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attack via a push notification on their phones.
The new phone alert system, which was recently activated, has faced teething trouble, sometimes not sending alerts or sending out warnings over a wider area than needed and that the sirens cover.
The Friday attack came three days after the US announced that it had reached a ceasefire with the Yemeni terror group.
Houthi officials made clear that the deal, in which they agreed to stop targeting US maritime activity in the Red Sea in exchange for an end to weeks of intense US airstrikes, did not include any agreement to stop firing at Israel or ships linked to the Jewish state.
Located over 2,000 miles from Yemen, Israel has limited capability to carry out strikes and put military pressure on the Houthis, with Jerusalem relying heavily on US support throughout the war.
On Wednesday, the IDF said a missile fired by the Houthis crashed outside of Israeli territory. Earlier in the day, the IDF said it had downed a drone launched from Yemen.
The attacks came after Israel carried out two days of heavy sorties targeting infrastructure controlled by the Houthis in response to the missile that struck Ben Gurion Airport. The fiery reprisals destroyed the international airport in the capital Sanaa, and caused heavy damage to a port in Hodeida and several power stations and a cement factory, officials said.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — first began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.
The Houthis held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have launched some 29 ballistic missiles and at least ten drones at Israel.
The sirens warning of missile attacks have sent hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushing to shelters at all hours of the day and night, sometimes causing injuries in the scramble during threats from the incoming missiles.
The Times of Israel Community.