The Yemeni Houthi rebels have carried out attacks against Israel-linked interests in support of Palestinians in Gaza [Getty/file photo]
The United States on Saturday said it struck targets in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, hours after a Houthi rebel missile injured people in Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv.
The missile, which wounded 16 people, was the second such attack in two days.
Among the targets of US forces was a rebel missile storage centre and a “command-and-control facility,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
American forces also shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, it said, shortly after the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV channel reported that an “aggression” had targeted the Attan district of Sanaa, blaming Western forces.
American and British forces have repeatedly struck rebel targets in Yemen this year in response to Houthi attacks on shipping in Red Sea-area waters vital to global trade, which the rebels say are being carried out in solidarity with Gaza amid Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory.
Israel has also previously struck back, including against ports and energy facilities, after rebel attacks against its territory.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels had claimed responsibility for the Saturday strike on Israel, saying they directed a ballistic missile at “a military target of the Israeli enemy”.
The Israeli military said it failed to intercept the missile, forcing many residents to leave their homes in the early hours.
“One projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made,” after alert sirens sounded, the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.
In a later statement, the military said Israeli civilians had been “deliberately targeted”.
It stressed the country’s “aerial defence is not hermetic” so Israelis should follow security instructions.
In their statement on Saturday, the Houthi rebels pledged to continue their attacks against Israel “until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted”.
The attack came two days after the rebels fired a missile that damaged an Israeli school.
The military said that missile had been intercepted but only partially, and its warhead “exploded and damaged the school”.
In response, Israel struck several Houthi targets in Yemen, including in Sanaa – the first such strike on the rebel-held capital.
Rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said nine civilians were killed in the strikes.
Hours after the Houthi attack on Saturday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a drone over southern Israel, which had approached from the east.
It did not specify the origin of the drone, but similar attacks have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq group, also pro-Iran, since the Gaza war broke out.
Soon after retaliating for Thursday’s attack by the Houthis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the rebels of severe repercussions if there were any repetition.
“After Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis are almost the last remaining arm of Iran’s axis of evil,” Netanyahu said.
“The Houthis are learning and will learn the hard way, that those who strike Israel will pay a very heavy price for it.”
