Watch: Houthi missile nearly strikes civilian jet, intercepted over Israel

A tragedy was narrowly avoided on Tuesday evening after a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels nearly struck a civilian aircraft flying over Israel. According to Israel's military war room, the missile was successfully intercepted in midair by Israeli defence systems.

"A Houthi ballistic missile launched at Israeli civilians nearly hit a civilian plane. If not for the competence of Israeli air defences, there could have been a mass casualty event caused by Iranian-backed terrorists," the Israeli warroom stated in a post on X, sharing a video of the incident. The footage shows the plane passing by moments before the missile was intercepted.

"The missile fired at Israel on Tuesday broke up into multiple parts after being hit by an interceptor, leading the Israeli Air Force to launch additional interceptors to shoot down the fragments," a military official said as quoted by The Times of Israel.

According to reports, at least seven interceptors were used during the mission. The Iran-backed Houthis took responsibility for the attack. They claimed that to have launched two ballistic missiles at Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel.

In the past, partially intercepted Houthi missiles have led to casualties when remaining warhead fragments landed in populated areas.

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The attack set off air raid sirens throughout central Israel, the Jerusalem area, southern West Bank, and parts of southern Israel. Residents in impacted areas received a long-range missile warning via mobile alerts two minutes prior to the sirens. Five minutes before the sirens sounded, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also issued a notice to the public.

In January 2025, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, but the Houthis continued to fire. They had fired more than 40 ballistic missiles, dozens of drones and cruise missiles. One of those missiles killed a civilian and injured multiple others in Tel Aviv in July, which prompted Israel to launch its first strike in Yemen.

The Houthis have fired at least 11 drones and 48 ballistic missiles at Israel since the IDF's assault against Hamas in the Gaza Strip resumed on March 18.