For the second time since the end of Israel’s so-called 12-day war with Iran, the Islamic Republic’s remaining terrorist proxy, the Houthis, launched a ballistic missile toward Israel. Will Israel and America now deal with the Yemen-based terrorists?  

“We thought we were done with missiles coming to Israel, but the Houthis just lit one up over us,” the American ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Tuesday. “Fortunately, the interception system saved us and gave us time to seek shelter. Maybe those B-2 bombers need to visit Yemen.” He was alluding to last week’s American bombing of three Iranians nuclear sites.   

Houthi missile attacks, which were a common occurrence early on in the 19 months of war since Hamas’s attack of October 7, 2023, have dwindled in recent months. “They can only launch in small numbers, but they can shoot whenever they so choose,” an independent Israeli missile and space researcher, Tal Inbar, tells the Sun. “They might be saving up.”

Three weeks ago the Israeli navy’s Saar missile boats struck targets at the Yemeni port of Hudeidah for the first time from the Red Sea. In the past, that port, which is situated nearly 1400 miles from Israeli shores, was bombed by the IDF’s air force. The Houthis use the port to resupply missile parts from Iran. The extent of the damage inflicted by the IDF to the missile arsenal, the launchers, and manufacturing capabilities is unknown.  

America also struck Houthi targets in May, declaring a cease-fire after the Houthis vowed to end attacks on American targets in the Red Sea. “I think the damage is less than we think,” a Yemen watcher at Israel’s Open University, Inbal Nissim Louvton, tells the Sun. “The cease-fire with the Americans gave them time to rearm, perhaps with help from Russia and China.”   

Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House on Monday. President Trump is expected to use the occasion to highlight Israeli-American cooperation in the war against Iran and raise hopes for an end to the Gaza war. Yet, the Houthis might now also be on the agenda.

“Yemen will be treated like Tehran,” the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said following the Tuesday attack. “After striking the head of the snake in Tehran, we will also strike the Houthis in Yemen. Whoever raises a hand against Israel — that hand will be cut off.” 

Tuesday’s Houthi projectile was intercepted by an Israeli Arrow missile, part of the country’s elaborate air defense system. During the war with Iran, anti-missile systems shot down 86 percent of incoming Iranian missiles, according to the IDF. Iran has at times launched hundreds of missiles in a single day. 

The Houthis joined the war on Israel soon after Hamas’s October 7 attack, claiming to fight on behalf of suffering Gazans. Unlike Iran, the Yemeni group has at most launched a single missile or explosive drone a day. The vast majority of Yemeni projectiles were intercepted but a few, including a missile that landed near the American embassy’s Tel Aviv branch, caused damage.

Israelis were forced to run to shelters and safe rooms several times a day and night during the war with Iran. Despite the high interception rates, 28 civilians were killed, more than 3,000 people were wounded, and much damage was caused to property. The Tuesday missile launch once again sent traumatized citizens across the country out to find shelter.