Renewed Missile Attacks by Hamas and Houthis Send Israelis to Shelters
On March 18, Israel resumed its attack on Hamas as cease-fire negotiations broke down, while the United States increased pressure on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Air raid sirens sounded over much of Israel on March 20 as Yemen’s Houthis launched a ballistic missile and Hamas fired rockets into the Jewish state.
The Israeli Air Force intercepted the Houthi missile, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Jerusalem heard air raid sirens and explosions.
The Houthis claimed they fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, disrupting air traffic briefly with several flights delayed.
This was the second such attack since the United States began a new series of strikes against the Houthi rebels earlier in the week to protect commercial and naval ships.
One of the Hamas missiles was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, while two others fell in open areas in the Tel Aviv metro area and central Israel between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the IDF reported.
Israel’s ambulance service, Magen David Adom, reported no serious injuries, though some injuries occurred as people rushed to take shelter, as reported by Israel’s I24 television.
According to the Times of Israel, 13 people were injured, three had anxiety attacks, and millions sought refuge in shelters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sought shelter in the Knesset building, stated on Channel 14 television, “The Houthis are already paying the price, and they will pay more.”
A fragment from a Hamas rocket was discovered in the city of Rishon Letzion, as per Ha’aretz.
The Hamas attacks were a response to renewed Israeli strikes on Hamas following the breakdown of the cease-fire and hostage-release process established since Jan. 19.
Israel initiated airstrikes on March 18 and conducted some ground attacks the next day.
The IDF targeted top officials of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, stating that several had been eliminated.
The breakdown of the cease-fire marked a return to the war that began with Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, resulting in the death of 1,200 individuals, mostly civilians.
Terrorists injured thousands and took 251 people hostage, with an estimated 24 hostages still alive and the bodies of 35 more held.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
