JERUSALEM, May 16, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Thursday, shortly after air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, according to AFP journalists.

It was the third time in as many days that Israel said its air defences had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted," a military statement said.

Yemen's Huthi rebels, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, have launched repeated attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since shortly after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

In early May, a missile from the Iran-backed group struck the area of Israel's Ben Gurion airport, gouging a hole near its main terminal building and injuring several people in a rare penetration of Israeli air defences.

Israel retaliated by striking the airport in Yemen's rebel-controlled capital Sanaa and three nearby power stations.

Israel's army on Wednesday urged Yemenis to stay away from Huthi-held ports, in a likely warning of retaliation for recent missile launches. It had issued a similar warning on Sunday, but no strikes have been reported since.

The United States, which launched a stepped-up bombing campaign in response to Huthi threats to renew their attacks on shipping, last week reached a ceasefire agreement with the rebels, ending weeks of intense US strikes on Yemen.