JERUSALEM — The Houthi militia group in Yemen fired a missile at Israel on Tuesday, hours after Israel’s defense minister suggested that his government would seek to kill its leadership, highlighting the difficulty Israel faces in confronting the Iran-backed militants as they ramp up their assaults.

Sirens wailed in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel early Tuesday, and loud booms could be heard as far away as Jerusalem as the country’s aerial defenses repelled the attack. The Israeli military later said the missile had been successfully intercepted outside its territory. There were no reports of casualties.

The Houthis, who act as the de facto government in much of northern Yemen, have been firing on Israel in solidarity with their Palestinian allies since shortly after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that prompted the war in the Gaza Strip. In a self-declared attempt to enforce an embargo on Israel, they also began launching missiles and drones at cargo vessels crossing the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

— The New York Times