Houthi missile falls short of Israel as attacks continue

Israeli media reported a Houthi missile was intercepted en-route to the Jewish state as the Iran-backed group continues its almost daily attacks.

Israel's Y-Net reported that it had been intercepted before reaching Israeli territory, the latest in an ongoing air operation from the Houthis in Yemen.

On Sunday, Israel attacked Hodeidah in Yemen after the Israeli army said it had warned residents of three ports under Houthi control to evacuate, according to the Houthi interior ministry.

However, the head of the Houthi-run state news agency Saba, Nasruddin Amer, denied any Israeli attacks had been carried out on Yemeni ports, and Israel's military has made no comment on any attacks.

Last week, the Houthis, listed as a terrorist organization by countries including the US, fired a ballistic missile which narrowly missed Israel’s main airport after multiple interception attempts failed.

The Houthis announced a ban on “air navigation to the airports of occupied Palestine” following the strike which landed just meters from Ben-Gurion Airport in central Israel.

Since the Gaza war began, dozens of strikes have been launched by Yemen, with scores of drones and missiles fired at the Jewish state.

Following the maritime blockade of the Red Sea region enacted by the Houthis, in a bid to force Israel into a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza, the US had led a more than 20-nation coalition against the group.

In a shock move last week, US President Donald Trump agreed to an Oman-brokered ceasefire after having escalated attacks on the Houthis in March.

The Houthis had launched at least 174 attacks on the US Navy and 145 attacks on global shipping, according to the US State Department.

However, the deal did not encompass the group's attacks on Israel.

In Israel, the ceasefire has left members of the political and military elite on edge.

"This was totally unexpected," one security source told Iran International on condition of anonymity. "Everyone is very much watching and waiting to see what comes next, but it leaves us in a much weaker position."

Another said: "We have no choice but to take tougher action now to show that even standing alone, we will not allow the Houthis to threaten the safety of Israel."