Houthi rebels in Yemen attempted to strike Israel’s Ben Gurion airport after sinking two vessels in the Red Sea this week, as the group ramps up its military pressure in support of Palestinians under Israeli fire in its bid to bring the war in Gaza to an end.

A deal being hammered out with Hamas would see 10 men released out of 20 believed to be alive, and the decision about who should be freed is creating deep despair.

Israel, which is not taking credit for the Thursday explosion, is known to have used targeted killings, including of nuclear scientists, raising

Israel and Iran-backed Houthi rebels exchanged missile fire on Monday as Israeli forces targeted Yemeni ports they say are used for weapons transfers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a second meeting in two days with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday evening.

Johnson had been scheduled to address a special session of the Israeli Knesset, but canceled the trip when war broke out between Israel and Iran.

Israel has been conducting near-daily strikes against what it says are Hezbollah targets as the Iranian-backed group comes under pressure to disarm amid fears of a renewed war.

The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis, but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead Sea.