Al Jazeera :
The Israeli military says it failed to intercept a missile from Yemen claimed by Houthi rebels that fell in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area.
The military reported the attack on its Telegram channel on Saturday, stating that “one projectile launched from Yemen” was identified after sirens went off in “central Israel” and that “unsuccessful interception attempts were made”.
A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis confirmed the group had hit a “military target” in the Jaffa area with a ballistic missile.
Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom (MDA), said in a statement that 16 people were “mildly injured by glass shards from shattered windows in nearby buildings”.
The Houthi attack on Israel came after the latter’s air strikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and the port city of Hodeidah on Thursday, which killed at least nine people.
The Israeli attacks came after the Houthis had fired a missile towards Israel on the same day, which was intercepted.
The Houthis later claimed Thursday’s attempted attack, saying they had fired ballistic missiles at “two specific and sensitive military targets … in the occupied Yaffa area”, referring to the Jaffa district of Tel Aviv.
Houthi fighters in Yemen have targeted Israel and ships linked to it in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since Israel launched its assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war on Gaza in which Israel has killed more than 45,000 people, mostly children and women.
Last week, the group pledged to continue operations “until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted”.
On December 9, a drone claimed by the Houthis exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israel city of Yavne, causing no casualties.
In July, a Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
