The pre-dawn strike, part of ongoing regional tensions, sent residents scrambling for shelter.
Magen David Adom reported that 13 people sustained injuries while rushing to shelters, and three others suffered from shock. No additional casualties were reported.
Several flights en route to Ben Gurion Airport, including an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi and an El Al flight from London, were briefly diverted but have since been cleared to land.
The sirens sounded while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was delivering a speech in the Knesset ahead of a budget vote. As alerts appeared on TV screens, Knesset staff warned lawmakers of the missile attack.
Smotrich, seemingly unaware of the situation, questioned, "How is it that we can’t hear anything?" before continuing his speech. Knesset protocol requires lawmakers to evacuate only if an alert is issued specifically for the parliament building.
The Houthis claimed the strike was in response to Israeli operations in Gaza and warned they would expand their list of targets in Israel if the fighting in Gaza continued.
Trump: Houthis will be 'completely annihilated'
"Iran must stop sending these supplies IMMEDIATELY," Trump wrote on Truth Social in a threat directed toward the Houthis' patron. "Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way, they lose—but this way, they lose quickly."
Since October 2023, these Houthi attacks—described by the group as acts of solidarity with Gaza—have inflicted severe damage on global maritime trade, forcing vessels to reroute away from the Suez Canal and drastically raising insurance costs.
Meanwhile, Reuters cited two senior Iranian officials who said Tehran had twice urged the Houthis to de-escalate tensions, signaling concerns over the widening conflict.
At the launch of the operation on Saturday, Trump warned the Houthis that "hell will rain down" upon them and declared, "Your time is up." According to U.S. officials, several senior Houthi commanders have been killed since the strikes began.
While the Pentagon initially signaled the campaign could last for weeks, officials on Tuesday adopted a more cautious tone, stating that the U.S. is not seeking to overthrow the Houthi regime and that airstrikes will cease once the group commits to halting its attacks.
