Houthi ballistic missile sets off air raid sirens in southern Israel

Air raid sirens were triggered on Tuesday evening when a ballistic missile was fired at Israel’s southern region by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Israel Defense Forces stated that it detected and intercepted the missile before it crossed into Israeli territory. 

The warning sirens were activated in Beersheva, Merhav Am, Nevatim, Revivim, and other locations throughout the Negev.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services confirmed that it had not received any calls about shrapnel impacts or casualties in the attack, “with the exception of isolated cases of panic victims.”

The Houthi attack comes after Israel’s heaviest strike against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday morning, officially ending the ceasefire that began in January.

The Hamas terrorist organization condemned what it called Israel’s “unprovoked escalation” and said the aggression put the fate of the Israeli hostages in jeopardy.

The IDF launched the strikes against Hamas after the terror group “rejected all offers it received from U.S. special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff” to release Israeli hostages, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. 

Instead, Hamas has insisted on the original terms of the deal, which envisioned Israel fully withdrawing its troops from Gaza and agreeing to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long insisted that Israel will not end the war until Hamas' governing and military capabilities have been eliminated.

IDF sources said the recent U.S. attacks on the Houthis have subdued the Yemen rebel group and prevented a larger-scale attack against Israel.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any additional attacks from the Houthis would be considered an attack from Iran and would lead to “dire” consequences.

A U.S. report stated that the Houthis fired 11 drones and one ballistic missile at the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier group in the Red Sea on Saturday, none of which came close to hitting any U.S. vessels.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the Houthis "sinister mobsters and thugs," saying their attacks "emanate from, and are created by IRAN."

Trump described the U.S. strikes targeting the Houthis as "decisive and powerful military action" against an Iranian-backed group. The rebel group has been targeting Western-linked shipping and launching munitions into Israel since the fall of 2022. The Iran-backed terror proxy has launched attacks in solidarity with Hamas since the beginning of the war on Oct. 7, 2023, firing more than 350 drones and missiles at Israel.

"They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft and drones," Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday. "We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective."

Following the attempted strike, Houthi official Hazam al-Asad tweeted in Hebrew, “The Yemeni people will not leave Gaza alone! The Zionists will pay for their crimes against children, women, and civilians.”