Yemen launches drone strike on Israel, two intercepted before entry, sirens sounded

Yemen has launched massive drone strikes inside Israeli territory, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Sunday.

The IDF claimed to have intercepted three Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), saying two of them were shot down before they could cross into Israeli territory.

Following the attack, sirens were sounded in southern Israel to alert residents to take shelter to safer places.

“The IAF intercepted three UAVs launched from Yemen, two of which were intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in southern Israel,” the IDF said in a tweet.

The attack by Yemen came a week after Ahmed al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the Houthi-controlled administration in Sanaa, was killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to the Iranian-backed group.

The Houthis said in a statement last week that al-Rahawi was killed in a strike, along with several other ministers.

The group noted that the attack took place while officials were attending a workshop to review the government’s performance over the past year.

Al-Rahawi had been serving as prime minister of the Houthi-led government since August 2024.

The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the strike, saying it had “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen”.

The Houthis have been one of the most vocal supporters of Palestine during the ongoing war in Gaza.

Over the past months, they have fired a series of missiles and drones toward Israel, claiming the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Most of these projectiles have either been intercepted by Israel’s defence systems or broken apart mid-air, but the group has continued its campaign.

The conflict has also spilt into the Red Sea, where the Houthis have targeted commercial ships, saying the vessels were linked to Israel.

In response, Israel has repeatedly struck Houthi-controlled territory, including the capital Sanaa and the vital port city of Hodeida. One such strike in May rendered Sanaa’s airport unusable.

The US had previously announced a deal with the Houthis in May, under which airstrikes would be halted if the rebels stopped targeting ships in the Red Sea.

However, the Houthis insisted that the agreement did not restrict them from attacking what they view as Israeli-aligned targets.

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