Yemen’s Houthis Claim Responsibility for Missile Attack on Israel

Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed responsibility for a missile attack on central Israel, according to a statement broadcast by Houthi-run media.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea announced in a televised statement that the attack was carried out to support the Palestinian people and Hamas. “We conducted a significant military operation targeting a military site of the Israeli enemy in the Jaffa area,” Sarea said.

He claimed that the missile used in the attack was a new hypersonic ballistic missile, which successfully hit its target despite failing to be intercepted by Israel’s defense systems.

The spokesperson also indicated that the Houthis plan to carry out further attacks on Israel, citing the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, and previous Israeli strikes on the Yemeni city of Hodeidah, as motivations for these actions.

Earlier reports from Israeli media confirmed that a missile struck a central area in Israel. The missile triggered sirens in Tel Aviv and other central cities, leading residents to seek shelter during the morning rush hour.

Israeli sources reported that the missile, launched from Yemen, hit an unpopulated area near Israel’s international airport outside Tel Aviv, specifically in Kfar Daniel, about 6 km from Ben Gurion Airport, where a fire broke out.

The Israeli military stated that interceptors were launched but failed to shoot down the missile. Magen David Adom, Israel’s national rescue service, reported five injuries from the scramble to shelters. There were no changes to the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines for civilians.