‘Won’t Hesitate’: Houthis Fire Missile, Drone At Israel To Avenge Hezbollah Drone Chief, IDF

Israel’s Arrow air defence system on Thursday intercepted a surface-to-surface ballistic missile fired from Yemen overnight, triggering sirens across the central part of the country.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis later on Friday said they had targeted Israel’s cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon with a ballistic missile and a drone in support of Gaza and Lebanon.

The Iran-backed Huthis fired a ballistic missile at a “military target” in the Tel Aviv area, and also launched a drone towards Ashkelon just north of the Gaza Strip, a statement from the rebel forces said.

The Israeli military reported that the missile was intercepted “outside the country’s borders” by the long-range defence system, according to the Jerusalem Post. The IDF noted that warning alerts were activated due to concerns about falling shrapnel from the interception.

The IDF has deployed the Arrow air defence system multiple times during the war to intercept Houthi attacks. This includes a missile that targeted Eilat in February and another that aimed for Tel Aviv on September 14, which entered Israeli airspace. The latest attack comes as Yemen’s Houthis seek to overwhelm Israel by opening another front amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Retaliation For Mohammed Srur

There were no reports of direct injuries from shrapnel or falling debris during the attack, though Israeli media reported that a 17-year-old girl was moderately injured after being struck by a car that pulled over to the side of the road amid the chaos.

At least 17 others sustained minor injuries while rushing to shelters. A Houthi official suggested the attack was retaliation for an Israeli airstrike that killed senior Hezbollah leader Mohammed Srur on Thursday, according to The Times Of Israel. Nasruddin Amer, chairman of the Yemeni state news agency Saba, confirmed on social media that the strike was in retaliation for the killing of Sarur.

‘Will not hesitate to support…’

Srur’s death was confirmed by Hezbollah shortly before sirens sounded in Israel. He had been one of several top advisers sent by Hezbollah to Yemen to train the Houthis, who are also backed by Iran, the Israeli newspaper reported, citing a source close to Hezbollah.

As cross-border fire between the Lebanese group and Israel intensified, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised address earlier Thursday the Iran-backed group “will not hesitate to support Lebanon and Hezbollah.”

Since November, the Houthis have targeted Red Sea shipping with drones and missiles. The Houthis, one of the key wings of Iran’s Axis of Resistance, have intensified their attacks against Israel, as a show of solidarity with the Palestinians amid the ongoing war that was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack.

From Gaza to Hezbollah

After a year-long military campaign in Gaza, Israel this month said it was shifting its military’s focus to Hamas ally and another Iranian proxy Hezbollah, which has clashed with Israeli forces since the Gaza war began. As the conflict in Gaza continues to escalate, Israel finds itself facing multiple fronts, including the increasing threat posed by Hezbollah in Lebanon and missile strikes from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel rejected a push led by its key backer the United States for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, vowing to keep fighting Hezbollah “until victory”. Before this week, the cross-border exchanges had killed about 600 people in Lebanon, and about four dozen people in Israel, roughly half of them soldiers and the rest civilians. The fighting also forced tens of thousands to flee homes on both sides of the border.

Israel says its escalated strikes across Lebanon over the past week are targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers and other military infrastructure. Since Monday, strikes have killed more than 690 people in Lebanon, according to local health authorities.

(With agency inputs)