The United States has asked Israel not to retaliate after Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile toward central Israel overnight, senior Israeli officials said Thursday. Washington urged Jerusalem to leave the response to American forces, which have been conducting military operations against the Iran-backed group, according to sources who spoke to Ynetnews.
Israel is expected to comply with the U.S. request, refraining from airstrikes like those carried out in the past by the Israeli Air Force. Such operations are logistically complex due to the long distance between Israel and Yemen, requiring mid-air refueling. While past Israeli strikes have demonstrated the military’s reach and capabilities, the U.S. – which launched a special operation against the Houthis earlier this week – has greater capacity to conduct sustained attacks using aircraft stationed on its aircraft carriers.
At around 4 am, a ballistic missile was launched from Yemen toward central Israel but was successfully intercepted by Israeli air defense systems before it could enter Israeli airspace. No injuries or damage were reported.
Meanwhile, the United States has intensified its airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in recent days. The strikes, aimed at securing maritime routes in the Red Sea, have targeted strategic rebel positions, including weapons depots, missile launch facilities, and command centers in the capital, Sanaa, and other areas.
The latest attack on Israel came just hours after President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to the Houthis, vowing they would be "completely annihilated" if they did not cease their missile strikes.
"Iran must stop sending these supplies IMMEDIATELY," Trump wrote on Truth Social, directing his threat at the Houthis' main backer. "Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way, they lose—but this way, they lose quickly."
On Tuesday, three days after the U.S. airstrikes began, Houthi Foreign Minister Jamal Amer said the group was now effectively at war with the United States and warned of further escalation. In an interview with Reuters, Amer also threatened Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, cautioning them against intervention while praising their neutral stance so far.
Meanwhile, Reuters cited two senior Iranian officials who said Tehran had twice urged the Houthis to de-escalate tensions, signaling concerns over the widening conflict.
The U.S. military launched its operation over the weekend under orders from Trump after the Houthis vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping linked to Israel, disrupting global trade routes. Since October 2023, these attacks—described by the Houthis as acts of solidarity with Gaza—have inflicted severe damage on global maritime trade, forcing vessels to reroute away from the Suez Canal and drastically raising insurance costs.
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At the launch of the operation on Saturday, Trump warned the Houthis that "hell will rain down" upon them and declared, "Your time is up." According to U.S. officials, several senior Houthi commanders have been killed since the strikes began.
While the Pentagon initially signaled that the campaign could last for weeks, officials on Tuesday adopted a more cautious tone, stating that the U.S. is not seeking to overthrow the Houthi regime and that airstrikes will cease once the group commits to halting its attacks.