Israel’s Air Force Intercepts Three Drones from Yemen Amid Rising Tensions
Israel’s military pulled off a quick win on Sunday when its air force shot down three drones heading straight from Yemen. The drones, or UAVs as experts call them, never made it into Israeli airspace, keeping everyone safe for now.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shared the update in a statement, saying they spotted the unmanned aerial vehicles early and took them out before any trouble started. No one has stepped up to claim responsibility for this drone attack yet, but fingers are pointing toward the Houthis, the rebel group that runs much of northern Yemen.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have been firing missiles and drones at Israel. They say it’s all to back the Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza war. Israel hasn’t stayed quiet – they’ve hit back with airstrikes on Houthi spots like the capital Sanaa and the key Red Sea port of Hodeidah. These Yemen drone attacks are part of a bigger pattern of Houthi missile strikes on Israel, which have ramped up lately.
Just earlier that same morning, things heated up even more. Two rockets launched from Gaza’s central area flew toward southern Israel, setting off blaring warning sirens in Netivot and nearby towns. The IDF says one rocket got intercepted mid-air, while the other crashed harmlessly in an open field. Luckily, no one got hurt.
This isn’t the first time Yemen’s Houthis have tried something like this. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, they sent a missile Israel’s way for the second time in a row. It triggered air raid sirens across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank, including the Jerusalem area and southern West Bank spots. But once again, the Israel Air Force intercepted the missile, and Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service confirmed zero injuries.
"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the Israel Air Force," the military explained in their statement. The Houthis haven’t commented right away on that one either.
Why the sudden spike in Houthi attacks on Israel? It all ties back to Israel’s recent airstrikes in Sanaa. Those strikes killed Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi, the prime minister of the Houthi-backed government, plus several other top ministers. This happened on August 30 during a government workshop reviewing the past year’s work. The Houthis confirmed the deaths and said other ministers were wounded and still recovering in hospitals. They didn’t specify the exact number of casualties, but it was a big blow.
In response, Houthi leaders promised revenge, vowing to hit back hard at Israel. This back-and-forth between Israel and the Houthis in Yemen shows how the Gaza conflict is pulling in players from across the region, keeping the Middle East on edge. We’ll keep watching for updates on these drone interceptions and missile threats.
