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Air raid sirens blared across central Israel early Thursday as a missile attack from Yemen targeted multiple cities, including Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion and Ramat Gan, as well as parts of Jerusalem and the Sharon region.
The pre-dawn strike, part of ongoing regional tensions, sent residents scrambling for shelter.
The IDF said the missile was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force before entering Israeli airspace, and sirens were activated according to protocol.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the ballistic missile launch from Yemen, and announced that they had fired a 'Palestine 2' hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said that "the target was achieved," and that the firing was carried out in response to "the massacres against our brothers in the Gaza Strip."
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Magen David Adom reported that 13 people sustained injuries while rushing to shelters, and three others suffered from shock. No additional casualties were reported.
Several flights en route to Ben Gurion Airport, including an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi and an El Al flight from London, were briefly diverted but have since been cleared to land.
The sirens sounded while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was delivering a speech in the Knesset ahead of a budget vote. As alerts appeared on TV screens, Knesset staff warned lawmakers of the missile attack.
Smotrich, seemingly unaware of the situation, questioned, "How is it that we can’t hear anything?" before continuing his speech. Knesset protocol requires lawmakers to evacuate only if an alert is issued specifically for the parliament building.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not in the Knesset chamber at the time and took shelter in a secure area. Speaking to Channel 14 after leaving his office, Netanyahu said, "The Houthis are already paying—and they will pay more."
This was the second Houthi missile attack on Israel in two days. On Tuesday, a missile—allegedly a hypersonic Palestine 2 ballistic missile—was launched toward Be'er Sheva but intercepted over Saudi Arabia by the Arrow air defense system.
The Houthis claimed the strike was in response to Israeli operations in Gaza and warned they would expand their list of targets in Israel if the fighting in Gaza continued.
Trump: Houthis will be 'completely annihilated'
The latest attack came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stern warning, vowing the Houthis would be "completely annihilated" if they did not cease their missile strikes.
"Iran must stop sending these supplies IMMEDIATELY," Trump wrote on Truth Social in a threat directed toward the Houthis' patron. "Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way, they lose—but this way, they lose quickly."
The U.S. military launched its weekend operation under orders from Trump after the Houthis vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping linked to Israel and disrupt global trade routes.
Since October 2023, these Houthi attacks—described by the group as acts of solidarity with Gaza—have inflicted severe damage on global maritime trade, forcing vessels to reroute away from the Suez Canal and drastically raising insurance costs.
On Tuesday, three days after U.S. airstrikes began, the Houthis’ foreign minister said the group was now effectively at war with the United States, warning of further escalation. In an interview with Reuters, Foreign Minister Jamal Amer also threatened Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, cautioning them against intervention while praising their neutral stance so far.
Meanwhile, Reuters cited two senior Iranian officials who said Tehran had twice urged the Houthis to de-escalate tensions, signaling concerns over the widening conflict.
At the launch of the operation on Saturday, Trump warned the Houthis that "hell will rain down" upon them and declared, "Your time is up." According to U.S. officials, several senior Houthi commanders have been killed since the strikes began.
While the Pentagon initially signaled the campaign could last for weeks, officials on Tuesday adopted a more cautious tone, stating that the U.S. is not seeking to overthrow the Houthi regime and that airstrikes will cease once the group commits to halting its attacks.