Since fighting resumed in Gaza nearly three months ago following the collapse of the ceasefire with Hamas, Yemen’s Houthis have launched 41 ballistic missiles toward Israel. While some crashed en route, 23 triggered air raid sirens across large areas of the country. Nine of the launches occurred overnight between midnight and 7:00 a.m.
During the 53-day American-led operation in Yemen, which ended on May 6, the Houthis launched 29 missiles at Israel. Ten failed midflight. However, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of the campaign—saying he “respected” Houthi assurances not to target American vessels—Israel was left to face the threat alone.
In the two-and-a-half weeks since the pause, the Houthis have launched another 12 missiles at Israel, seven of which triggered sirens.
Ynet analyst Ron Ben-Yishai noted shortly before the American withdrawal that Israel believed the Houthis were timing some of their launches for daylight hours, when U.S. forces found it harder to detect and intercept missile flashes.
On May 3, for example, the Houthis launched a missile at 6:18 a.m., shortly after sunrise. A day later, another missile struck Ben Gurion Airport at 9:17 a.m., causing significant damage.
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Since the U.S. ended its campaign, the Houthis appear less concerned about immediate retaliatory strikes on their launchers. Just this week, they launched two missiles in the middle of the night—at 2:53 a.m. Wednesday and 4:09 a.m. Thursday—waking millions of Israelis. In less than 24 hours, they fired three missiles from Yemen, including a third launch at 11:50 a.m. that day.
All three were intercepted, but Houthi leaders boasted after each launch. Yemen's pro-Houthi newspaper Al-Laa ran a headline Saturday reading, “Yemeni hat-trick on Lod airport within 25 hours. Flight cancellations mounting.” Both Air France and British Airways extended their flight suspensions to Israel.
The report claimed the Houthis were working to double their strike capabilities to increase support for Gaza, with a focus on targeting Ben Gurion Airport and Haifa Port.
On Friday morning, the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching a hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport. That afternoon, as on most Fridays, Houthi supporters staged pro-Gaza demonstrations across Yemen, including at Al-Sabeen Square in Sana’a, under the slogan: “Steadfast with Gaza, escalation against genocide and starvation.”
This latest barrage came in response to Israel's first airstrike in Yemen since the U.S. campaign ended. Last Friday, in an operation dubbed “Red Sunsets,” 15 Israeli fighter jets struck the ports of Hodeidah and Al-Salif, aiming to impose a naval blockade on the Houthis. It marked Israel’s first strike on Yemen in four months.