The Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Israel Thursday morning, which fell short in an open area outside the country.

Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to the attack, writing on X: “The Houthis are firing missiles at Israel again. A plague of darkness, a plague of [death of] the firstborn – we will complete all ten plagues.”

The tweet was a reference to the biblical story of the exodus from Egypt, according to which God struck the Egyptians with ten plagues before Pharaoh allowed the Hebrews, who’d been enslaved, to leave.

The missile fired Wednesday morning was carrying a cluster munition warhead, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The recent launches came as the group continued its wave of missile and drone launches over the past week, after Israeli airstrikes killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi and several members of his cabinet.

Mohammed Miftah, interim Prime Minister of the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group’s that controls parts of Yemen, attends the funeral of his slain predecessor Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahwi and other officials, who killed in an Israeli strike days earlier, in Sanaa, September 1, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

On Tuesday, the IDF said that two Houthi missiles launched at Israel had disintegrated over Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis also recently launched several missiles at ships linked to Israel, though there have been no reported impacts.

According to Saudi reports, the remaining Houthi leaders have fled the rebel-held capital of Sanaa out of fear of further Israeli strikes.

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 November 2023, a month after the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacre and hostage-taking in southern Israel.

Yemenis raise placards during an anti-Israel, anti-US rally, in the Houthi-run capital Sanaa on August 29, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

The Houthis temporarily held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By then, 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, they have launched more than 71 ballistic missiles and at least 23 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

Neither the UN nor the EU recognizes the group as the legitimate government in Yemen, and the UN designates the Houthis as a terrorist organization. The Western-recognized Republic of Yemen, which is battling the rebels, is the country’s official representative at the UN.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly set to gather top ministers and aides for a discussion on Thursday in which they will explore the possibility of applying Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank.

The meeting, according to Hebrew media reports, is to focus on the implications of international recognition of a Palestinian state, and how Jerusalem may respond to such a move. Applying sovereignty to parts of the territory, a step tantamount to annexation, is one of multiple steps the small forum is reportedly to weigh.

The meeting comes ahead of this month’s United Nations General Assembly, where a wave of Western nations intend to recognize a Palestinian state against Israeli and American wishes.

Multiple Palestinian sources said this week that the PA, which governs day-to-day affairs in parts of the West Bank, is working through various channels to persuade the Americans to lift visa restrictions on Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials.

Illustrative: Riyad Mansour. the Palestinian Authority’s envoy to the United Nations (at podium), speaks during a meeting of the UN General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York City on June 12, 2025. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

Al-Sheikh wrote that Abbas had “categorically condemned violence and terrorism, including the attacks of October 7,” in June, according to Axios. He also wrote that the PA is “committed to peace” and establishing a demilitarized Palestinian state.

“The decision to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation — despite these clear commitments, reforms, and assurances — sends the wrong signal at a time when the entire region looks to the United States for leadership and fairness,” al-Sheikh wrote, according to Axios. “It risks silencing the Palestinian voice at the UN, precisely when constructive engagement is most needed to build momentum for peace.”

In addition, a senior Palestinian official close to Abbas told The Times of Israel that Arab states, including Gulf countries, are working to assist the PA on the issue.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, added that the US move is “complicating matters, and we do not want things to become more complicated.” He said the PA is asking the US to “proceed in accordance with international law and the agreement between the UN and the United States,” referring to Washington’s obligation under its UN host country agreement to allow leaders to travel to New York for the General Assembly.

“We are determined that the voice of the Palestinian people will be heard, and that the Palestinian president’s speech will be delivered at the UN by any means possible,” he said, adding that a remote address by Abbas is one of the options being considered.

Secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein al-Sheikh, attends the 32nd PLO Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025. (Zain Jaafar/AFP)

A growing list of Western nations said they plan to announce their recognition of a Palestinian state at the General Assembly. Leaders who have announced the step say it keeps the door to a two-state solution open, and have described it as a response to Israeli policies and actions they oppose in the West Bank and Gaza.

Several have said recognition of Palestinian statehood needs to come alongside reforms to the Palestinian Authority and on the condition that Hamas not play a role in governing Palestinians. The latest country to announce that it would recognize a State of Palestine is Belgium, which announced its decision on Tuesday and said it would come alongside sanctions on Israel.

The United States and Israel oppose recognition of a state of Palestine, particularly in the wake of the October 7 attack. Israel has called the move a prize for terror, and earlier this year, the Knesset voted 71-13 in favor of a non-binding motion in support of applying sovereignty to the West Bank.

Finance Bezalel Smotrich attends a press conference announcing his plans to approve more than 3,000 housing units in the E1 settlement project between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, August 14, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is responsible for civilian affairs in the West Bank, has advanced settlement construction plans, intending to make a Palestinian state unviable.

Smotrich will reportedly take part in the Thursday meeting, alongside Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Ben Gvir and Smotrich also support annexing the Gaza Strip to Israel and building settlements there.

Army Radio said on Monday morning that Smotrich and Ben Gvir pushed at a Sunday cabinet meeting for the full annexation of the West Bank. It said without sourcing that Israel believes it has “silent approval” from the Trump Administration for annexation limited to the Jordan Valley area.

In 2020, Netanyahu believed he had Trump’s backing to annex the Jordan Valley and West Bank settlement areas, but was told by Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner that this was not the case.