(Reuters) -An advanced U.S. military anti-missile system was used in Israel to try to intercept a projectile for the first time since President Joe Biden placed the system in Israel in October, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.
The THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, was used to try to intercept a projectile from Yemen sometime during the last 24 hours, and an analysis would determine its success, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel struck multiple targets linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including Sanaa International Airport, and Houthi media said at least six people were killed.
Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In October, Biden placed the THAAD system, built by Lockheed Martin, in Israel along with about 100 U.S. soldiers to help defend the country. THAAD is a critical part of the U.S. military’s layered air defense systems and added to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile defenses.
After the Israeli airstrikes the top U.N. aid official in Yemen, Julien Harneis, said on Friday that Sanaa airport was civilian infrastructure used by international aid workers to access the north of Yemen, warning: “If that airport is disabled, it will paralyze humanitarian operations.”
“Parties to the conflict have an obligation to ensure that they are not striking a civilian target,” he told reporters. “We don’t need to prove we’re civilians. They need to prove that they are hitting a military target. Sanaa Airport has not been a military target since 2016.”
The United Nations says more than half Yemen’s population – some 18 million people – need humanitarian help. Harneis told reporters that is expected to rise to 19 million next year due to worsening economic conditions in the country.
He also said airstrikes on Hodeidah port were particularly concerning as it was “absolutely vital” because Yemen imports about 80% of its foodstuffs.
“It’s a civilian facility, there is no doubt about that, and the U.N. works to ensure that and any damage to it will lead to massive suffering for Yemenis,” Harneis said.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Howard Goller and Alistair Bell)
