IDF: Two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen at Israel intercepted; no injuries
First attack sends millions to bomb shelters in central Israel, Jerusalem area; debris falls in communities near capital without causing damage; 2nd missile targets Eilat area
The Israel Defense Force said it successfully intercepted two ballistic missiles fired at the country from Yemen on Saturday, in the fourth and fifth attacks by the Houthi terror group this week. There were no reports of injuries or major damage.
The first attack in the morning hours triggered sirens across a wide swath of central Israel and the Jerusalem area and sent millions running to bomb shelters.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that they targeted the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.
“The missile reached its target with high accuracy, thanks to Allah, and the interception systems failed to intercept it,” the Houthis claimed.
There were no reports of direct impacts. The Defense Ministry is located at the IDF headquarters in central Tel Aviv.
Hours later, another ballistic missile fired from Yemen was shot down by Israeli air defenses, the military said.
During the incident, sirens had sounded in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat and nearby towns. There were no reports of injuries or damage in the second attack.
The attacks came hours after Israel’s government approved a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, set to take effect Sunday. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houth had said Thursday that the Iran-backed group would continue “to provide military support to the Palestinian people” if Israel does not comply with the ceasefire.
The Israel Police said debris and shrapnel from the first intercepted missile fell in the Jerusalem area. Fragments fell in an open area near Beitar Ilit, Moshav Bar Giora, and near a gas station next to Mevo Beitar, where earlier this week a large chunk of a Houthi missile fell on a house.
Police said it was searching for further debris. It urged the public not to touch the fragments and said sappers were working at the scene to remove them.
The Ynet news site reported that during the sirens, a Royal Jordanian flight, from Amman over Israel to Chicago, was ordered to steer clear of Israeli airspace, and a FlyDubai flight to Dubai stayed on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv.
Over the past week, Israel intercepted three Houthi attacks: a drone on Monday morning, and two missiles on Monday evening and early Tuesday morning.
The attacks came after Israel last Friday struck Houthi ports and a power plant in Yemen.
The Houthis — whose slogans call for “death to Israel” and “a curse upon the Jews” — have launched more than 40 ballistic missiles and some 320 drones at Israel since they started attacking the country in 2023, in support of fellow terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip amid the war.
In the vast majority of the Houthis’ attacks, the missiles have been intercepted by Israeli air defenses, or have fallen short before reaching the country. However, a few drones and missiles have hit sites, causing casualties and damage.
In December, 16 people were wounded in Tel Aviv in one of their drone attacks on Israel, and in July a a drone there killed a person and wounded several others.
Israel and Western allies carried out several sorties against Houthi targets in Yemen, but they have failed to stem the attacks.
The Yemeni rebels have also been firing at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — destabilizing a vital shipping lane and prompting reprisal strikes by the United States and sometimes Britain against Houthi targets.
They have pledged to continue the attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza. The war in Gaza was sparked when fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed southern Israel by the thousands on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
AFP contributed to this report.
