Israel has said its fighter jets conducted a series of strikes against military targets in Yemen belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi movement in response to missile and drone attacks.
The strikes came hours after a missile fired from Yemen was partially intercepted over central Israel. Part of the missile still hit a school in Ramat Gan on the edge of Tel Aviv, destroying a building.
The Houthis, who control north-western Yemen, began attacking Israel and international shipping shortly after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians.
Israel’s military says about 400 missiles and drones have since been launched at the country from Yemen, most of which have been intercepted.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “After Hamas, Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis are almost the last arm of Iran’s axis of evil. They are finding out, and will find out, the hard way that whoever harms Israel – will pay a very heavy price.”
The US and UK have also carried out strikes on Houthi weapons and other military targets over the past year in response to attacks on global shipping in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.