Israel intercepts Houthi ballistic missile; 2 hurt running for shelter

A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses on Tuesday evening, the military said.

A 40-year-old woman in Holon was taken by paramedics to Wolfson Medical Center with lower body injuries sustained when she tripped on her way to a bomb shelter, and a 65-year-old woman in Ramat Gan who was lightly injured in the head on the way to a shelter was taken to Ichilov Medical Center, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

Sirens had sounded across central Israel and the Jerusalem area. Preceding the sirens by around a minute, an early warning was issued to residents, alerting civilians of the long-range missile attack via a push notification to their phones.

Hours later, another ballistic missile launched from Yemen, apparently aimed at Israel, fell short far from the country, according to an Israeli defense source.

The military identified the launch, but no sirens sounded in Israel because the missile did not pose a threat.

A missile fired from Yemen also fell short of the country on Monday, a defense source said.

Israeli security forces at the site where a missile fired from Yemen hit an area near Ben Gurion Airport, May 4, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The attacks came a week after Israel carried out two days of heavy sorties targeting infrastructure controlled by the Houthis in response to a missile that struck Ben Gurion Airport. After Ben Gurion was hit, most foreign airlines suspended flights to Israel.

Hungary-based low-cost airline Wizz Air said Tuesday it expects to resume flight services to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on May 15, after suspending services following the attack.

The fiery Israeli 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 Sanaa airport will resume operations starting Wednesday, the facility’s general said Tuesday.

On Sunday, the IDF issued an “urgent” evacuation warning to the three Houthi-controlled ports in western Yemen, though no strikes were reported to follow.

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 in Yemen have launched 31 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

The sirens warning of missile attacks have sent hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushing to shelters at all hours of the day and night.