Houthis claim responsibility for fresh missile attack towards Israel

Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a missile attack toward central Israel, which triggered air raid sirens across Jerusalem earlier in the day.

According to a statement broadcast on the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group launched a "hypersonic ballistic missile" aimed at a "military target" in southern Tel Aviv. He asserted that the missile "hit the target," though no further details were provided.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen early Saturday morning.

Israel's national emergency service, MDA, said in a separate statement that there were no reports of casualties, except for a 26-year-old man who was bruised on his way to the shelter.

The launch marked the third missile attack claimed by the Houthis against Israel in the past 48 hours.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement aired by al-Masirah TV, the group said it would begin targeting any tanker of any shipping company transporting US crude oil exports in the Red Sea, starting May 17, in response to the ongoing US airstrikes on northern Yemen.

The group said the attacks would cease if the United States halted its air operations against Houthi targets in Yemen.

It also reported 25 US airstrikes since Saturday early morning until dawn, targeting sites across northern Yemen, including the Houthi-controlled oil port of Ras Issa in the Red Sea's province of Hodeidah. The Houthis did not report any casualties.

Tensions between the Houthi group and the United States have escalated since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 this year to deter the group from targeting Israeli cities, Israeli-linked ships, and US warships in the region.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been targeting Israel since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The group said it would stop its attacks if Israel stopped its war on Gaza and allowed humanitarian aid back in.