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IDF Hits Houthi Targets in Yemen After Missile Fired at Central Israel
Houthi-mobilized fighters ride atop a car in Sanaa, Yemen, Sept. 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
JNS.org — The Israeli Air Force struck Houthi targets in Yemen overnight Wednesday, after intercepting a missile over central Israel fired by the Iranian-backed terror group.
An elementary school in the Ramat Efal neighborhood of Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv, suffered severe damage when shrapnel hit it following the interception. According to the city’s mayor, the impact caused a partial collapse of the school’s central building, prompting the cancellation of classes for the day. No injuries were reported.
Following an initial investigation into the impact, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday afternoon that “it is likely that the damage was caused by partial interception of the missile launched from Yemen and that the missile warhead was the part that exploded and damaged the school.”
The IDF further stated that the Israeli Air Force and Home Front Command are conducting a more in-depth probe, which the findings will be made available to the public when complete.
The IDF also said that security forces were looking into damage caused by falling shrapnel in additional areas.
Missile interception fragments were found on the grounds of Israel’s parliament complex, the Knesset, in the capital Jerusalem, according to the legislative body.
Guards located the debris during a routine search of the area. There were no injuries or damage from the impact and the pieces were removed by police sappers.
No air-raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem during the attack, which was also the case in Modi’’n, a city located roughly halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where its mayor said on Thursday that shrapnel from the missile interception impacted in two places, causing minor damage.
No injuries were reported in the Modi’in incident and Mayor Haim Bibas was said to have asked the IDF Home Front Command why no air-raid alerts were heard.
According to the IDF, the IAF strikes were carried out in two waves by 14 fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes.
The jets were already en route to Yemen when the Houthis launched the ballistic missile at around 2:35 am. The first wave of strikes occurred at 3:15 am, targeting the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea as well as the Hodeidah and Salif ports. Eight tugboats, used for guiding ships into the ports, were also destroyed.
At 4:30 am, the second wave targeted the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, hitting two power stations, the Haziz and D’Habban, according to reports in Yemen.
Houthi-affiliated media reported casualties.
“Over the past year, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating with the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias, in order to attack the State of Israel and Israeli civilians,” the IDF stated following the strikes.
“The conducted strikes degrade the Houthi terrorist regime, preventing it from exploiting the targets for military and terrorist purposes, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons to the region,” the statement continued. “The IDF is determined to continue operating against all threats posed to the citizens of the State of Israel, wherever necessary.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Houthi leaders after the overnight operation that “the long arm of Israel will reach you. Whoever raises a hand [against us] will have it severed. Whoever harms [us], will be harmed many times over.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog commended the IAF operation in an X post on Thursday morning.
“In the last few hours, we have seen the tremendous ability and bravery of the Israeli Air Force, defending our people against an attack by the Iranian terrorist proxy, the Houthis in Yemen, and striking them with powerful force,” Herzog wrote.
“I thank each of the brave servicemen and women of the Israeli Air Force and the IDF for defending our people from terrorists who seek to terrorize Israel and the Middle East,” he added.
On Monday, a Houthi missile triggered air-raid sirens in the greater Tel Aviv area. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency response group said it had treated five people who were lightly injured while running for cover.
Earlier on Monday, an Israeli Navy ship intercepted a Houthi drone over the Red Sea before it crossed into Israeli territory.
On Dec. 9, a Houthi drone hit a residential high-rise building in the central Israeli city of Yavne, northeast of Ashdod. On Dec. 1, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen triggered sirens in the Judean foothills. The missile was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace, the IDF said. Four people were injured running to shelters, according to Magen David Adom.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched over 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel in support of Hamas since the Gaza-based terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in the northwestern Negev. The vast majority were intercepted outside of Israeli territory by Israel or the U.S.
In July, a Houthi drone killed a civilian in central Tel Aviv. In response, Israel struck Yemen’s Hodeidah Port.
On Sept. 29, the Israeli Air Force carried out dozens of strikes in the area of Hodeidah. The targets included “power plants and a seaport, which were used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil,” the IDF said.
“The Houthis are also targeting other countries — in the Middle East, the United States and other countries in the world,” IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari noted in an English statement released early on Thursday morning.
“With their attacks on international shipping vessels and routes in the Red Sea and other places, the Houthis have become a global threat. Who is behind the Houthis? Iran. The regime in Iran funds, arms and directs the Houthi’s terror activities,” he continued.
“As we have shown against other enemies in other arenas, we will continue to act against anyone — anyone in the Middle East that threatens the State of Israel, and we will defend the people of Israel,” Hagari said.
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Spain Scraps Purchase of Israeli Bullets After Internal Pressure
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks to the media on the day of his meeting with Ireland’s Prime Minister Simon Harris to discuss recognizing a Palestinian state, in Dublin, Ireland, April 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
The Spanish government has unilaterally cancelled a contract to purchase ammunition rounds for its police force from an Israeli firm, a government source said on Thursday, ceding to pressure from its hard-left junior coalition partner Sumar.
Spain, a long-time critic of Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories, pledged in October 2023 to stop selling weapons to Israel over its war with Hamas in Gaza and last year widened that commitment to include weapons purchases from Israel.
However, on April 17 as Spaniards geared up for the Easter holiday weekend, the government filed paperwork confirming the deal on the government tenders website.
The purchase, worth 6.6 million euros ($7.53 million), includes the acquisition of more than 15 million 9-mm rounds from Israel’s IMI Systems, owned by Elbit Systems and represented in Spain by Guardian LTD Israel.
The decision drew a sharp rebuke on Wednesday from coalition partner Sumar, with one of the groups within Sumar, Izquierda Unida, threatening to withdraw from the minority coalition government.
The Interior Ministry responded that it had been advised by the state attorney that breaking the contract would mean paying the full amount without receiving the shipment.
On Thursday, a government source said it had decided to stick to its October 2023 commitment not to provide Israeli companies with arms or revenue flows “and nor will it do so in future.”
The source said the Israeli company would be denied permission to import the defense material by the Spanish authorities on “public interest” grounds, the Interior Ministry would rescind the contract and government lawyers would respond to any subsequent legal claims.
Internal divisions over defense spending have already rattled the ruling coalition, threatening to deprive Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of precious votes in parliament to pass legislation.
On Tuesday, Sanchez further angered Sumar, a platform of left-wing parties that controls five ministries led by deputy premier Yolanda Diaz, by announcing a wider plan to boost defense spending by 10.47 billion euros to meet NATO targets.
The minority government has struggled to pass legislation since securing a new term by cobbling together an alliance of left-wing and regional separatist parties in 2023.
($1 = 0.8767 euros)
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Iran, France Signal Readiness for Nuclear Talks Amid US Negotiations
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday he was ready to travel to Europe for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, with France indicating European powers were also ready for dialogue if Tehran showed it was seriously engaged.
Iran is looking to build on the momentum of nuclear negotiations with the United States that resume in Oman on Saturday and after talks with Russia and China earlier this week. Its reach out to the European powers party to a 2015 nuclear deal suggests Tehran is keeping its options open.
Since September, Tehran and the three European powers, known as the E3, have already held several rounds of discussions over their ties and the nuclear issue.
The most recent in March were held at technical level, looking at the parameters of a future deal to secure a rollback of the nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions.
European diplomats had said they were seeking a new meeting with Iran, although that appeared on ice when Tehran began indirect talks on its nuclear program with US President Donald Trump’s administration earlier this month.
Trump, who abandoned the 2015 pact between Tehran and world powers during his first term in 2018, has threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly that would prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The third round of talks is due to be held on Saturday in Oman.
“Iran‘s relations with the E3 … have experienced ups and downs in recent history. Like it or not, they are currently down,” Araqchi wrote on X.
“I once again propose diplomacy. After my recent consultations in Moscow & Beijing, I am ready to take the first step with visits to Paris, Berlin & London … The ball is now in the E3’s court.”
The European powers, who have voiced concern about their coordination with Washington, have seen their ties with Iran worsen over other issues including its ballistic missile program, detention of foreign citizens, and support for Russia in the war in Ukraine.
THREAT OF RENEWED SANCTIONS
When asked about Araqchi’s comments, France’s foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said the E3 favored dialogue but wanted to see how serious Iran was.
“The only solution is a diplomatic solution, and Iran must resolutely engage in this path and it’s a proposal the E3 have put forward many times, so we will continue dialogue with the Iranians,” he told a news conference.
The United States did not tell European countries about the nuclear talks in Oman before Trump announced them, even though they hold a key card on the possible reimposition of UN sanctions on Tehran.
However, according to two European diplomats, the US lead technical negotiator Michael Anton briefed E3 diplomats in Paris on April 17, suggesting that coordination has improved.
The West suspects Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, which it denies. The threat of renewed sanctions is intended to pressure Tehran into concessions, making detailed discussions on strategy between the Americans and Europeans vital, diplomats say.
Because the United States quit the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, it cannot initiate its mechanism for reimposing sanctions, called snapback, at the United Nations Security Council.
That makes Britain, Germany, and France, known as the E3, the only deal participants capable of and interested in pursuing snapback.
According to diplomats, the E3 diplomats are now looking to trigger snapback by August as opposed to an earlier June timeframe, if no substantial deal can be found by then. That opportunity expires on Oct. 18 when the 2015 accord ends.
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Lebanon Reprimands Iran Envoy Over Comments on Hezbollah Disarmament
Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani attends a press conference at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, July 31, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanon‘s foreign ministry reprimanded Tehran’s ambassador to Beirut on Thursday over comments alleging that plans to disarm Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah were a “conspiracy.”
Hezbollah is under mounting pressure to relinquish its arsenal after a 2024 conflict with Israel badly weakened it and left much of southern Lebanon in ruins.
President Joseph Aoun is expected to begin talks with the group on disarmament, seen for years as a taboo subject because of the group’s sway over the Lebanese state.
On April 18, Iran‘s Ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani posted on X that “the disarmament project is a clear conspiracy.”
“We in the Islamic Republic of Iran are aware of the danger of this conspiracy … we warn others not to fall into the trap of enemies,” he wrote.
On Thursday, Lebanon‘s foreign ministry said it had summoned Amani “due to his recent public stances” and that top ministry official Hani Shmaytelli “informed him of the need to adhere to diplomatic protocols … on the sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs.”
Amani told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed on Wednesday that he had been summoned specifically over the X post, but that he had missed that first appointment — resulting in him being summoned again on Thursday.
Criticism of Iran by top Lebanese officials was unusual for years, particularly given Tehran’s sponsorship of Hezbollah.
Last year, then-prime minister Najib Mikati made a rare rebuke to Iran and said Amani should be summoned over reported comments by a senior Iranian official.
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