IDF downs missile from Yemen as sirens blare in Jerusalem, Dead Sea area
Latest Houthi attack sends large numbers of Israelis running for shelter in the middle of night again; IDF says missile intercepted before entering Israeli airspace
Air defenses intercepted a missile fired from Yemen that triggered sirens in the Jerusalem, southern West Bank and Dead Sea areas early Saturday morning, the military said, in the sixth such overnight attack on the center of the country in less than two weeks.
The missile was intercepted outside Israeli airspace and the sirens were activated according to protocol for fear of falling debris, the military added, without specifying whether it was an Israeli or American system that intercepted the missile.
An American missile defense system battery had participated in the interception of a Houthi ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen early Friday morning, the first time the system was used since being deployed by the US in Israel in October.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said there were no reports of injuries in the latest attack from Yemen, apart from one person suffering from acute anxiety.
Sirens blared in dozens of towns and cities in the Jerusalem area, the southern West Bank and parts of the Negev amid the incident, including Jerusalem, Latrun, Arad and the Dead Sea area, sending large numbers of people dashing for bomb shelters and protected rooms.
The Houthis in Yemen later took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have targeted the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel. The Iran-backed group claimed that the “missile successfully hit its target.”
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• Shfelat Yehuda — Ness Harim, Giv'ot Eden, Zanoah, Latrun, Neveh Ilan, Kfar Uriah, Taoz, Mahsiya, Gizo, Tarom, Nachshon, Harel, Neveh Michael (Rogalit), Kiryat Yearim, Beit Meir, Tzuba, Tzora, Naham, Beit Shemesh, Retorno – Givat… pic.twitter.com/YjYeRpMlXW
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 28, 2024
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 Israel Defense Forces. The vast majority did not reach Israel or were intercepted by the military or Israel’s allies in the region.
Rocket and drone alert sirens triggered by attacks from Yemen have sent millions of Israelis running for shelter in the middle of the night almost every night for the past 10 days.
In the past month, the Houthis have fired 10 ballistic missiles and at least nine drones at Israel.
The attack came hours after the Houthis said fresh airstrikes had hit Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa on Friday, after they claimed to have carried out new attacks on Israel. Israeli air raids hit Sanaa International Airport and other targets in Yemen on Thursday.
“I heard the blast. My house shook,” one Sanaa resident told AFP late Friday.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the latest strike, but the Houthis blamed it on “US-British aggression.”
There was no immediate comment from Israel, the United States or Britain.
Sanaa airport damaged after Israeli strikes; flights resume
Despite the damage at Sanaa airport, flights resumed at 10:00 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Friday, Houthi Deputy Transport Minister Yahya al-Sayani said.
“The airport tower has been directly hit, in addition to the departure lounge and airport navigation equipment. The attack resulted in four dead until now and around 20 wounded from staff, airport and passengers,” Sayani said.
The strikes left the top of the control tower a bombed-out shell, and large windows in the airport building were shattered.
Sanaa airport, which reopened to international flights in 2022 after a six-year gap, offers a regular service to Jordan’s capital, Amman, on the Yemenia airline.
Alongside the attacks on Israel, the Iran-backed group has 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.
Israeli “aggression will only increase the determination and resolve of the great Yemeni people to continue supporting the Palestinian people,” a Houthi statement said Friday.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Sanaa Friday to protest against the Israeli strikes and express solidarity with Palestinians.
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.
The Times of Israel Community.