Israel intercepts missile launched from Yemen, Houthis claim responsibility

May 9 (Reuters) - Israel's military said on Friday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory, an attack for which Yemen's Houthi forces claimed responsibility.

The incident came days after Oman said it mediated a ceasefire deal between the U.S. and the Houthis, with the Yemeni group saying the accord did not include close U.S. ally Israel.

The Iran-aligned militia group claimed responsibility for Friday's attack, saying it fired a ballistic missile towards Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, according to the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said after the military reported the missile launch that Israel would respond forcefully in Yemen and "wherever necessary", describing the Houthi missiles as "Iranian".

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the U.S. would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen as the group had agreed to stop attacking U.S. ships.

But the Houthis have continued to fire missiles and drones towards Israel, most of which the Israeli military says it has intercepted, without casualties or serious damage occurring.

The Houthis have attacked numerous vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade, in a campaign that they say is aimed at showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has been fighting a war in Gaza since a deadly raid by Palestinian militant group Hamas into southern Israel in October 2023.

The Houthis are part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" against Israeli and U.S. interests in the Middle East, a group also including Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Israel has weakened those groups by assassinating top leaders and destroying military infrastructure since the Gaza war began, though Houthi capabilities appear largely intact.