Yemen's Houthis Fire Missiles At Israel As IDF Hits Hezbollah's Lebanon Hideouts In New Escalation | Video

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday that it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen as its ongoing military strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon raised fears of all-out war in West Asia. Sirens went off in several areas of central Israel “as a result of a missile that was fired from Yemen”, the Israeli military said.

This comes as Yemen’s Houthis have increasingly targeted Israel, opening another front amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. “The missile that was fired from Yemen was successfully intercepted by the ‘Arrow’ Aerial Defense System. Sirens and explosions were heard following the interception and falling shrapnel,” it added.

‘Will not hesitate to support Lebanon’

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” as cross-border fire between the Lebanese group and Israel intensified.

Hamas’s October 7 attack

Since November, the Houthis have targeted Red Sea shipping with drones and missiles, saying the actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.

Israel this month said it was shifting its military’s focus from Gaza to Hamas ally Hezbollah, which has clashed with Israeli forces since the Gaza war began. 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)