The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it had detected the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israel, marking the first such incident since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East on February 28, after the Houthis had threatened to join the conflict.
In a statement, the army said its air defense systems were working to intercept the threat.
This marks the first reported missile launch from Yemen since the war entered its second month. Air raid sirens sounded in Beersheba and other settlements in southern Israel, as well as in Ya’ara and Arab al-Aramshe in the western Galilee.
For its part, Magen David Adom reported that it had not received any reports of casualties following the missile detection.
The war began on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched large-scale airstrikes targeting key facilities, military sites, and command centers in Tehran and other cities, resulting in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day, along with several senior officials and commanders, including Ali Larijani and prominent leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In response, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel and countries in the region, while closing the Strait of Hormuz, causing a surge in global energy prices.
The conflict expanded to Lebanon on March 2, after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel following the killing of Khamenei, prompting Israel to respond with extensive airstrikes and a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.
