Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said that the militant group struck Israel using a “new hypersonic ballistic missile.”
Yahya Sarea, a spokesperson for the Houthis, said that the missile took just 11 and a half minutes to travel more than 1,200 miles.
The Israel Defense Forces said that it had identified a surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen over central Israel.
It said that the projectile “most likely fragmented in mid-air” before falling in an open area.
“No injuries were reported,” the IDF said on X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since said that the Houthis would pay a “heavy price” for the attack.
The Houthis have exchanged air strikes with Israel since October in a show of support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its war with Israel, which began following Hamas’ October 7 attacks.
Sarea said that as the anniversary of the attacks approaches, Israel should expect more strikes, “including responding to its aggression on the city of Hodeidah,” per Reuters.
Sarea was referring to Israeli strikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah in July, which killed at least six people.
The Israel-Houthi conflict has also led to chaos around the Red Sea, with the Houthis repeatedly targeting shipping in the region and drawing the US Navy into what one analyst described as the service’s most intense combat since World War II.
The Houthis have made a notable push to amass a wide range of anti-ship weapons —including cruise and ballistic missiles — in recent years, with Iran acting as its key source of anti-ship missile technology, according to Fabian Hinz, a research fellow for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.
Hinz said that while the Houthis have pointed to Hamas’ October 7 attacks as the reason for its targeting of shipping, Iran’s provision of anti-ship weapons to the group began long before then, suggesting a “long-term Iranian focus on strengthening Houthi anti-ship capabilities.”
