Yemen’s Houthis Claim Responsibility for Missile Attack on Central Israel

The Yemeni armed group has said it used its “new hypersonic ballistic missile” in the attack

On Sunday morning, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that a missile fired from Yemen struck central Israel. The Houthis, an armed group that controls much of northern Yemen, have claimed responsibility for the attack.

The IDF stated in a message on X (formerly Twitter) that the missile entered Israeli airspace from the east and fell in an open area. They added that there were no casualties as a result of the incident.

In a later post, the Israeli military clarified that the attack originated in Yemen. They also explained that the explosive sounds heard above central Israel were caused by the IDF’s interceptors, which were fired at the incoming projectile.

The Times of Israel reported that sirens were activated in the area from Tel-Aviv on the Mediterranean coast to the city of Modiin, about 25km (18 miles) southeast, at around 6:30 am local time.

According to the paper, a missile reportedly hit an open area, causing a fire in the Ben Shemen forest, a few kilometers away from Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel-Aviv. Shrapnel also damaged a train station on the outskirts of Modiin, and the police are searching for missile debris in other areas.

Israel’s ambulance service Magen David Adom has stated that nine people were slightly wounded while running for shelter during the attack.

A few hours later, the Houthis confirmed their responsibility for the missile strike. The group’s spokesman said in a statement that “the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a specific military operation” against “a military target of the Israeli enemy” in Tel-Aviv’s Jaffa port area.

The spokesman claimed the attack involved “a new hypersonic ballistic missile,” which successfully hit its intended target. “The enemy’s defense systems failed to intercept and confront [the missile]. It crossed a distance of 2,040km in eleven and a half minutes, and caused a state of fear and panic” in Israel, he added.

Since October of last year, the Houthis have been attacking merchant ships allegedly linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with drones and missiles, claiming they are acting in support of the Palestinians amid Israel’s strikes on the Gaza Strip.

The Yemeni group has also been targeting Israeli territory with drones and missiles, but they have only been able to penetrate the air defenses on a few occasions.

Saree warned that “the Israeli enemy should expect more strikes and specific operations” in the lead up to the first anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, in which around 1,200 people were killed and some 250 taken hostage.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 41,206 people in the Palestinian enclave have been killed and 95,337 others wounded in the IDF’s air campaign and group operation, which was launched in response to the Hamas attack.