WHO says UN crew member seriously hurt in IDF Yemen strike

Houthis fire another overnight ballistic missile at central Israel, triggering sirens

Missile intercepted outside Israeli airspace; US THAAD system activated for 1st time; alerts sound for fear of falling debris; airport arrivals halt for 30 mins; 18 lightly hurt rushing to shelter

By Emanuel Fabian
and ToI Staff 27 December 2024, 12:52 pm Edit
Footage posted to social media shows the interception of a Houthi missile as seen from Israel, early on December 27, 2024. (X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

For the fifth night in the last eight days, sirens sounded in large swathes of central Israel overnight Thursday-Friday, after another ballistic missile attack by Yemen’s Houthis.

The Iran-backed group took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have targeted Ben Gurion Airport.

The projectile was intercepted outside Israel’s airspace, and the alarms were activated out of fear of potential falling debris, the military said.

Footage posted to social media showed the THAAD system being used to intercept the attack.

The American missile defense battery was deployed by the US in Israel in October following Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack on Israel. This was the first time that the THAAD system was used.

“18 years I’ve been waiting for this,” an American soldier can be heard saying in the clip.

The IDF, which did not specify whether it was an Israeli or US system that intercepted the missile, added that there were no reports of impacts at the airport. Flight arrivals were reportedly halted for 30 minutes.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said 18 people were lightly hurt while rushing to a bomb shelter, and two people suffered acute anxiety attacks.

The Houthis claimed that “the missile succeeded in reaching its target despite the enemy’s censorship, and the operation resulted in casualties and the cessation of navigation at the airport.”

Additionally, the Houthis claimed to have carried out a drone attack on a “vital target” in the Tel Aviv area. There were no reports of drones reaching Israel from Yemen in the past day.

The Houthis also said that they had targeted a container ship in the Arabian Sea with several drones.

The Iran-backed group vowed to continue their attacks on Israel “until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”

An Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jet takes off for airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, December 26, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

On Thursday, Israeli warplanes struck Houthi targets along Yemen’s western coast and deeper within the country, including “infrastructure used by the Houthi terror regime for its military activities” at Sanaa International Airport, and the Hezyaz power plant just outside the Houthi-controlled capital.

The strikes followed days of increasingly bellicose threats from Israeli leaders vowing to decimate the Iran-backed terror group after near-daily attacks.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director-general, said the bombardment occurred as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa, injuring an aircrew member. The crew member suffered serious injuries but was evacuated to Jordan where he is now recovering in a hospital, a Ghebreyesus said on Friday.

The Houthis, a rebel group that is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and Jews, have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel in the past year, according to the IDF.

Men carry a mock missile during a rally by university students and faculty denouncing strikes on Yemen and in solidarity with Palestinians, in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on December 25, 2024. (Mohammed Huwais / AFP)

The vast majority did not reach Israel or were intercepted by the military or Israel’s allies in the region, the army says.

The Iran-backed group has also carried out repeated missile and drone attacks on some 100 merchant vessels attempting to traverse the Red Sea, forcing many carriers to avoid the key waterway and hamstringing global shipping. The Houthis initially said they were going to attack Israel-linked ships but few of the vessels targeted had ties to Israel.

The Houthis have vowed to keep up the attacks until the end of the war in the Gaza Strip that began on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage to Gaza.

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