Sirens sound in central Israel, southern West Bank, Dead Sea area, sending hundreds of thousands to bomb shelters; Iran-backed group claims missile had cluster bomb warhead
A ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel early Sunday morning was intercepted by air defenses, the military said.
The missile set off sirens in central Israel, some southern West Bank settlements, and communities near the Dead Sea at around 5 a.m., sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushing to bomb shelters.
The Israel Defense Forces shortly after announced that the missile had been downed. There were no reports of damage or injuries in the attack.
The Houthis later took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have targeted “several sensitive targets” in the Jerusalem area using a ballistic missile with a cluster bomb warhead.
The Iran-backed Houthis have fired several missiles with cluster bomb warheads at Israel in recent weeks. The sub-munitions deployed by such missiles do not have their own propulsion or guidance and simply fall to the ground, where they are designed to explode on impact.
The Houthis also said that they were “monitoring developments in Gaza” amid US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war.
“The results of these developments on the ground will be dealt with in a manner conducive to achieving the demands of our oppressed Palestinian people,” the Houthis said, adding that they would continue their attacks on Israel “until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”
The Houthis, an Iran-backed terror group, have repeatedly attacked Israel with ballistic missiles and drones, saying they are doing so in support of Gaza amid Israel’s war there against Hamas.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in the Red Sea in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.
Since then, the group has fired over 130 missiles and more than 150 explosive-laden drones at Israel, causing death, injury, damage, and regularly sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis scrambling to shelters at all hours of the day or night. Israel has repeatedly bombed Houthi targets in response.
The Houthis temporarily held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 91 ballistic missiles and at least 41 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.
In response, Israel has attacked the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away, 19 times.
Last month, the Israel Air Force carried out its largest wave of strikes in Yemen after a Houthi drone hit the southern resort city of Eilat, injuring 22 people, two of them seriously.
In August, an Israeli strike on Sanaa killed the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi government and a dozen other ministers, with Israel warning that the attack on the group’s leaderhip was “just the beginning.”
