Israel's military on Sunday said it was intercepting a missile fired from Yemen, a day after the Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered the war.

Israel's military "has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat," it said in a statement.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday said they carried out a second ⁠attack on Israel in less than 24 hours using missiles and drones, and vowed to continue military operations in ⁠the coming days, ⁠the group's military ⁠spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech.

The Houthis' entry into the conflict adds to regional tensions, particularly ⁠given their ability to strike targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red ⁠Sea, as they did in support of Hamas in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

On Friday, the Houthis said they were prepared to act if what they called an escalation against Iran and the "Axis of Resistance" continued in the war.

If the Houthis open a new front in the conflict, one target could be the Bab al-Mandab Strait off the coast of Yemen, a chokepoint for sea traffic towards the Suez Canal. (Agencies)


Edited by Tony Sabine