Yemen launched a missile at Israel
A long-range ballistic missile fired from Yemen hit central Israel early today, sending shockwaves throughout the region, according to Israeli military spokesmen. The missile set off air raid sirens across Tel Aviv and other towns in central Israel, including Ben Gurion International Airport as residents scrambled to find shelter. However, during the panic, no casualties and serious damage were reported. Normal operations resumed at the airport shortly after.
The Yemen Houthi movement launched missile sounds and air raid sirens across parts of Israel, including Modiin and Tel Aviv. Loud explosions in the regions have been reported as the Israeli military blames its missile defense interceptors for the actions. According to the IDF, the missile fell in an open area with no immediate reports of casualties. Emergency services Magen David Adom of Israel said nine people sustained minor injuries while trying to reach the shelter.
Video footage released by the Israeli Fire and Rescue Authority shows fragments of the missile inside a Modiin train station and images of smoke rising from an open field where parts of the missile landed.
Yemen’s Houthi movement, supported by Iran, said it launched the missile attack. A military spokesman for the Houthis said his side fired a “new hypersonic ballistic missile” on a military position in the Jaffa sector, Tel Aviv, which had dodged Israel’s most advanced air defense systems. A Houthi media official said Nasruddin Amer that the missile hit the city and triggered a fire in the area, which Israel’s defenses had failed to intercept.
Hamas, which has been conducting rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, welcomed the attack, calling it a “natural response” to continued Israeli military actions in Gaza. The militant group declared that Israel “will not enjoy security” until it stops its aggression in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promptly declared that the Houthis would “pay the price” for such deeds. “They should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” Netanyahu said, referring to earlier retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi targets.
This sudden foray into central Israel is viewed as a rare direct attack coming from Yemen, and escalations of this kind are feared by all. For months, the Houthis have been targeting Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea, which they describe as an act of solidarity with Palestinians amidst the Israel-Hamas war.
The attack on Israel comes at a time of heightened tensions in the area, as Hezbollah in Lebanon also launched attacks along Israel’s northern border, fears of multiple points of war.
As things are unfolding, the defense forces of Israel remain highly alert; meanwhile, leaders from around the world today expressed growing concern over the prospects of a much larger Middle Eastern conflict.
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