What's happened
On September 15, 2024, Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a hypersonic missile that struck near Tel Aviv, marking a significant escalation in their conflict with Israel. The missile traveled over 1,200 miles, causing no injuries but prompting a strong response from Israeli officials, who warned of severe consequences for the Houthis.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to the New York Times, the missile strike is a clear demonstration of the Houthis' evolving capabilities, with Yahya Sarea, a Houthi spokesperson, claiming it was a hypersonic missile that the Israeli defense systems failed to intercept. The Guardian noted that this incident marks the first time a missile from Yemen has reached Israeli territory, raising alarms about the effectiveness of Israel's multi-tiered air defense systems. Meanwhile, Axios reported that Netanyahu warned the Houthis would pay a 'heavy price' for their actions, indicating a potential for increased military responses from Israel. The situation is further complicated by Saudi Arabia's calls for more robust action against the Houthis, as highlighted in The Guardian, which suggests a growing concern over Iranian influence in the region.
How we got here
The Houthis, an Iran-aligned militia, have increasingly targeted Israel since the onset of the Gaza conflict in October 2023. Their missile capabilities have evolved, leading to this unprecedented strike on Israeli territory, which has raised concerns about regional security dynamics.
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More on these topics
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is the second-largest Arab sovereign state in the peninsula, occupying 527,970 square kilometres.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, and previously from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also the Chairman of the Likud – National Liberal Movement.
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Gaza may refer to:
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Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
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Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese parliament.
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The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden.