the Israeli army has increased its aerial defence preparedness in anticipation of renewed missile attacks from Yemen [Getty]
Israel's air force has entered a state of heightened readiness amid concerns that Yemen’s Houthi group may retaliate following intense US strikes on multiple Yemeni provinces that left over 31 people dead and 101 injured.
According to Channel 13, the Israeli army has increased its aerial defence preparedness in anticipation of renewed missile attacks from Yemen.
The military is also investigating whether a missile launched from Yemen overnight, which landed in Sharm El-Sheikh, was intended to target Israel or nearby US military assets.
The last missiles from Yemen to reach Israeli-occupied territories were recorded on 9 January, just before the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. During that period, the Houthis also launched drones that Israel's defence systems successfully intercepted.
In earlier statements, Israeli authorities reported that since the start of the war, approximately 320 drones have been launched from Yemen.
Of these, 100 were intercepted by the Israeli air force, while only two drones struck their intended targets. The remaining drones either crashed in open areas, were intercepted before reaching Israel, or failed to cause significant damage.
The missile strike on Sharm El-Sheikh came shortly after the United States launched a military operation targeting Houthi positions in Sanaa, Saada, Dhamar, and Al-Bayda.
The US strikes followed threats from Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who warned of renewed pressure on global trade passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and vowed to target ships bound for Israel as part of efforts to support Gaza and break the Israeli blockade.
In response to the attacks, the White House issued a statement asserting that "no terrorist force can block the free navigation of American ships in global waterways".
The statement added that the Houthis had targeted US military ships and aircraft for years, threatened American citizens, and attacked Washington's regional allies.
"More than a year has passed since an American commercial vessel last sailed safely through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. Our national economic security has been under threat from the Houthis for some time now," the White House said, adding that President Donald Trump has now taken decisive action to end the threat.
In a direct message to the Houthis, Trump warned: "Your time is up, and this is a warning to Iran as well: stop supporting the Houthis." He added that the US would use "overwhelming lethal force" to end the threat and ensure American ships could sail freely.
The Houthis responded by warning they would meet "escalation with escalation", accusing the US of emboldening Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
They rejected Trump’s claims about threatening global navigation, calling them "false and misleading to international public opinion".
The group insisted that their blockade efforts were strictly aimed at ships bound for Israel in support of Gaza, not global trade.