Click to see full-size image. Via X.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on April 13 afternoon that it had repelled another missile attack launched by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) from Yemen.
Initially, the military claimed that its air defenses were engaging two ballistic missiles which were launched from Yemen. Warning sirens sounded across central Israel, Jerusalem, and in some settlements in the occupied West Bank amid the attack.
The military later said that just one missile launched by the Houthis was “apparently” successfully intercepted by air defenses.
Shrapnel reportedly fell in the Hebron area in the West Bank. However, no casualties or damage was reported by Hebrew media.
Photos posted to social networks showed the remains of what appears to be an interceptor from a United States Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
The THAAD was designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase by intercepting with a hit-to-kill approach.
The system can engage missiles at ranges of 150-200 kilometers Typically, each system consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate. The U.S. military reportedly has seven systems in service, including two currently deployed in Israel.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack in the evening, claiming in a statement that they had launched a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile at Sdot Micha AirBase and a Zulfiqar ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel.
Hypersonic missiles travel and maneuver at least five times faster than the speed of sound at low altitudes in the atmosphere which makes them extremely difficult to track and intercept.
The Palestine-2 is a two-stage solid fuel missile that appears to be derivative from Iran’s first hypersonic missile Fattah-1. It has a range of over 2,150 kilometers and a top speed equivalent to 16 times the speed of sound, according to the Houthis.
Meanwhile, the older Zulfiqar is a single stage liquid-propellant missile with a detachable warhead. It is thought to be an improved copy of the Iranian-made Rezvan with a range of over 2,000 kilometers.
In the same statement claiming responsibility for the missile attack, the Houthis said that they had also launched a suicide drone at a “vital target” near the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.
“The Israeli enemy, along with the Americans, must realize that dear Yemen, its leadership, people, and army, will not back down from its firm position in supporting and backing the oppressed Palestinian people, and will not abandon its religious, moral, and humanitarian duties, regardless of the repercussions and the results,” Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in the statement.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have launched more than 20 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. Only half of the missiles set off sirens in Israel and were intercepted, while the others fell short.
The U.S. military resumed strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen earlier on March 15 on orders from President Donald Trump, who said that the large-scale operation was launched in response to the group’s renewed attacks on Israel-affiliated shipping in the Red Sea.
So far, the operation has claimed the lives of more than 90 people, including civilians. However, it has failed to deter the Houthis or to degrade their offensive capabilities.
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