Yemen's Houthis take responsibility for pre-dawn attacks on Israel

Sanaa/Jerusalem(The Uttam Hindu): Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the "missile and drone attacks" on "vital targets" in Israel's cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, which reportedly triggered sirens across northwestern Israel earlier in the day. It is the first time the Houthis have targeted Haifa, in far northwestern Israel. "We launched a hypersonic ballistic missile on Haifa, targeting a vital target," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV. "The hypersonic missile hit the target in Haifa as the enemy (Israeli) defence systems failed to intercept it," he said.

For another military operation, Sarea said it was carried out against a "vital target" in Tel Aviv, using a bomb-laden drone. "We will continue our military operations until the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian Gaza Strip stops and the blockade on it is lifted," the Houthi military spokesperson added. Earlier in the day, Israel Defence Forces said in a post on social media platform X that sirens were sounded in the city of Haifa, the nearby Krayot region, and the Western Galilee, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Israeli military said, "An interceptor was launched toward the missile, and the missile was most likely successfully intercepted." However, video footage posted on social media by Israeli residents, as well as live coverage by international television channels, showed that the Houthi missile struck the Israeli city, causing a huge explosion and fire. Magen David Adom, Israel's national ambulance service, said no injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, the US military conducted 11 airstrikes against Houthi targets in the northern provinces of Marib, Taiz, and Hodeidah. According to the Houthi television, the US strikes targeted telephone networks in Taiz, the airport in Hodeidah, and vital locations on the frontlines in Marib. Tensions between the Houthi group and the US military have escalated since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 to deter the group from targeting Israel and US warships in the Red and Arabian seas.