Shillong, September 16: Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for a missile attack on central Israel, according to a statement aired by the Houthi-run media.
“To support the Palestinian people and Hamas, we carried out a qualitative military operation through which we targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the Jaffa area,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement on Sunday.
“The operation was carried out with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that succeeded in reaching its target, and the enemy’s defences failed to intercept it,” he said, adding that this type of missile could evade aerial shield systems on land and sea.
The spokesperson announced that the group vowed to launch more such strikes on Israel, as the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which broke out on October 7, 2023, is marking its first anniversary, and coming attacks are also in retaliation for an earlier Israeli attack on the Yemeni city of Hodeidah, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting al-Masirah TV.
Earlier in the day, Israeli media outlets reported that a missile hit the centre of Israel and that the Israeli authorities are investigating the performance of the Israeli advanced aerial shield.
A long-range surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen struck an unpopulated area near Israel’s international airport outside Tel Aviv on Sunday, Israeli sources said.
The missile triggered sirens in Tel Aviv and other cities in central Israel, sending residents running to shelters during the morning rush hour, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Israeli military said in a statement that interceptors were launched but failed to shoot down the missile, which landed in an open area.
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that the missile fell in Kfar Daniel, about 6 km from Ben Gurion Airport. A fire broke out in the area.
Magen David Adom, Israel’s national rescue service, said five people were injured while running to shelters.
There were no changes to the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines for civilians. (IANS)