Alarms sounded in the Tel Aviv and the Lowlands regions following a missile launch from Yemen toward Israel. No casualties or impact sites were reported, apart from one man who was injured while heading to a shelter in the city of Bat Yam. This marks the first launch into Israel this week, following at least seven launches last week, three of which triggered alarms.
A Houthi missile was intercepted. Watch the missile be intercepted, the shrapnel burns out in the air and falls. pic.twitter.com/mWi2RetvEA
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) May 17, 2025
A day and a half after the launch of Operation Red Sunsets, alarms were activated overnight Sunday across central Israel, including Tel Aviv, the Lowlands, and the Sharon region, in response to missile fire from Yemen. The IDF reported that one missile was intercepted. Residents in the center of the country reported hearing multiple explosions.
As a result of the alarms, takeoffs and landings at Ben Gurion Airport were temporarily suspended, causing some incoming flights to delay their arrival. Notably, the alarms sounded just three minutes after the announcement that Yuval Rafael had achieved an extraordinary second-place finish in Eurovision 2025.
The missile fire early Sunday morning came roughly 36 hours after the IDF struck two major ports in Yemen as part of Operation Red Sunsets, a response to continued Houthi attacks on Israel, including last week’s barrage. The large-scale operation involved 15 aircraft flying approximately 2,000 kilometers to Yemen with aerial refueling support, during which more than 35 munitions were dropped. According to Saudi outlet Al-Hadath, over 10 strikes targeted the two ports. Israel stated that the objective was to impose a naval blockade on the Houthis.
Military sources reported that the targeted ports—critical supply hubs for the Houthis—have been hit repeatedly, with a particular focus on the port of Hodeidah, which is said to have spiraled into disarray. It is estimated that it will take at least a month to restore operations at the sites, inflicting significant economic damage on the Houthis and disrupting their capacity to rearm.
Operation Red Sunsets marked the IDF’s third wave of airstrikes in Yemen since the beginning of the month. As previously reported, the escalation followed a successful Houthi launch of a ballistic missile toward Israel, which evaded interception and detonated at Ben Gurion Airport.
