UPDATE - Israeli army says it intercepted drone from Yemen

ADDS HOUTHI STATEMENT, CHANGES DECK

By Zein Khalil and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army said Wednesday that it intercepted a drone launched from Yemen by the Houthi group.

A military statement said the drone was shot down by the Israeli Air Force.

Israel’s Channel 12, citing an unnamed army spokesperson, said the drone was intercepted near the Egyptian border, without providing details.

Later, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said “the Yemeni Armed Forces’ drone unit carried out a military operation targeting Lod Airport (Ben Gurion) in the occupied Jaffa area (Tel Aviv) using two Yafa-type drones.”

He emphasized that the group’s military operations against Israel “will continue until the aggression on Gaza is halted and the blockade is lifted.”

The Israeli army also said Wednesday that it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen following sirens that sounded in several areas, including Galilee.

The Houthis have intensified missile and drone strikes on Israel since the Israeli military resumed attacks on Gaza in March after two months of a shaky ceasefire.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have also targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 54,600 people have been killed in an Israeli offensive.