Yemen’s Houthi rebels fire missile toward Israel, which Israeli military intercepts

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile early Sunday toward Israel, which the Israeli military said it shot down.

Sirens sounded in parts of Israel around the Dead Sea over the attack.

“The missile was intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory,” the Israeli military said.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack, saying the rebels targeted Israel’s Nevatim air base with what he identified as a hypersonic missile.

American airstrikes, meanwhile, continued targeting the Houthis overnight into Sunday, part of an intense campaign targeting the rebels that began on March 15.

The U.S. is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis are the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.

Assessing the toll of the month-old U.S. airstrike campaign has been difficult because the military hasn’t released information about the attacks, including what was targeted and how many people were killed. The Houthis, meanwhile, strictly control access to attacked areas and don’t publish complete information on the strikes, many of which likely have targeted military and security sites.

On April 18, a strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack of the American campaign.