Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired two missiles at Israel early Tuesday morning, but they disintegrated over Saudi Arabia, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The IDF did not fire any interceptors, nor were warning sirens sounded in Israel.
Later on Tuesday, the IDF said the Israel Air Force intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from Yemen, before it entered Israeli territory. No sirens were activated, in accordance with IDF policy.
The Iran-backed rebels, who have been firing missiles and drones at Israeli cities for nearly two years, have stepped up attacks since last week, when Israeli airstrikes killed the Houthi prime minister and several members of his cabinet.
The Houthi foreign ministry filed a complaint with the United Nations over the airstrikes on Monday, urging it to pressure Israel “to obey international law,” Yemen’s Al-Masira network, which is affiliated with the rebels, reported.
The request was reportedly sent to the UN secretary general, as well as the UN Security Council, UN member nations, the UN Human Rights Commission, and the UN representative in Yemen, along with the European Union.
“The silence from the international community encouraged it [Israel] to this dangerous escalation that threatens security and stability,” the Houthis wrote.
Supporters of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis march in the capital Sana’a on March 15, 2024, in support of Palestinians, during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. (Mohammed Huwais/ AFP)
The Houthis further declared that their support of Gaza “aligns with international law” and vowed to maintain their position until the war in the Palestinian enclave ends.
Neither the UN nor the EU recognizes the Houthis as the legitimate government in Yemen, and the UN designates the Houthis as a terrorist organization. The Western-recognized Republic of Yemen, which is battling the rebels, is the country’s official representative at the UN.
The Yemen outlet Defense Line, which is not aligned with the Houthis, wrote in a post to Facebook that the rebels have imposed a strict “blackout” on the fate of several ministers believed hurt in the Israeli attack, as well as the condition of other military and security leaders.
On Monday, Israel successfully intercepted a drone fired by the Houthis before it reached Israeli territory, the IDF said in a statement. No sirens were sounded in Israel, the military noted.
Many Houthi drones fall short or disintegrate before reaching Israel.
The same day, the Houthis claimed to have fired a missile at an Israeli-owned tanker in the Red Sea, though the projectile missed.
It came as the Houthis held a funeral for their slain prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, and other ministers killed in the Israeli strikes.
Houthi officers carry the coffin of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, who was killed along with others in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, out of the Shaab Mosque during his funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.
The Houthis held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had launched over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 74 ballistic missiles and at least 24 drones at Israel. Several missiles have fallen short.
In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a United States-led coalition bombarded rebel-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeidah. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May.
US President Donald Trump’s administration in May announced a deal with the Houthis to end its airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping. The terror group, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.
