CAIRO: A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis struck Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv before dawn on Saturday, wounding 16 people in the second such attack within days after Israeli strikes killed nine people in Yemen.
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”.
The military said it had failed to intercept the missile, which hit a district of Tel Aviv municipality, forcing many residents to leave their homes in the early hours of Saturday.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it used a ballistic missile directed at “a military target of the Israeli enemy”.
A spokesperson for Houthis confirmed the group had hit a “military target” in the Jaffa area with a ballistic missile.
Israel has struck multiple targets in Yemen, including ports and energy facilities in areas controlled by the Houthis.
Solidarity with Palestinians
The Yemeni group has repeatedly launched missile attacks against Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 45,227 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the territory’s health ministry said on Saturday.
“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made,” the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.
Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency medical service, said 16 people were slightly injured.
“I was at home and heard a loud explosion. I immediately went to the scene and saw significant blast damage to nearby buildings,” medic Yosef Kourdi was quoted as saying in a statement released by MDA.
“MDA teams provided medical care to 16 individuals who were mildly injured by glass shards from shattered windows in nearby buildings due to the impact of the strike,” the statement said.
The Houthi group said that it was acting in support of Palestinians, and pledged in a statement on Saturday to continue operations “until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted”.
Israeli Strikes Kill Nine in Yemen
The strike came just two days after Israel struck several areas in Yemen, including in Sanaa — the first such strike in the capital city.
“The Israeli enemy targeted ports in Hodeida and power stations in Sanaa, and the Israeli aggression resulted in the martyrdom of nine civilian martyrs,” the Yemeni group leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a speech broadcast by Al-Masira TV.
Soon after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the group of severe repercussions.
“After Hamas, Hezbollah, and the (Bashar al-) Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis are almost the last remaining arm of Iran’s axis of evil,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“The Houthis are learning and will learn the hard way, that those who strike Israel will pay a very heavy price for it.”
Aggression on Gaza
Yemen’s Houthis 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.
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.
The Houthis attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have also led to strikes on Houthi targets by the United States and occasionally, the United Kingdom.
