The Houthis fired another ballistic missile at Israel. The missile was successfully intercepted.
By Rachel Avraham
At 5:30am on Wednesday morning, the bomb sirens were sounded in Abu Ghosh, Bat Ayin, Beitar Illit, Efrat, Ein Geddi, Gush Etzion Junction, Hebron, Jerusalem, Kiryat Arba, Maale Adomim, Masada, Mini Israel, and other areas across the greater Jerusalem and Dead Sea areas. Various media reports stated that the Houthis fired a ballistic missile towards Israel, which triggered air raid sirens for some 1.5 million Israelis.
The military said in an initial statement that “sirens sounded in several areas in Israel following a projectile launched from Yemen” and that details were under review, Yedioth Achronot reported. Shortly after, it confirmed the missile had been shot down, the report added. Israel’s Magen David Adom medical emergency response group said it had not received any reports about casualties or fallen shrapnel, JNS reported.
The incident also disrupted air traffic, Yedioth Achronot reported. According to the report, four flights approaching Ben Gurion International Airport were placed in holding patterns until clearance was given to land. Among them were an Emirates flight from Dubai and aircraft operated by El Al, Israir and Arkia, according to flight tracking data, Yedioth Achronot added. Departures resumed shortly after the all-clear, the report stressed.
On Sunday, the IDF struck military infrastructure of the Houthis in the Sanaa area, including a military site in which the presidency palace is located, the Asar and Hizaz power plants, and a site for storing fuel, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, the IDF said that all the sites “were used for the military activity of the Houthi terrorist regime.”
“The strikes were conducted in response to repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians, including the launching of surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs toward Israeli territory in recent days,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
Earlier, it was revealed that a preliminary investigation into the Houthi missile launched towards Israel on Friday evening last week indicated that the projectile was likely a missile with a cluster warhead, Arutz Sheva stressed. According to various reports in the media, this was the first time that the Houthis have launched such a missile toward Israeli territory. Shrapnel fell near a home in the greater Lod area but no one was hurt. The warhead comprised 22 smaller warheads; an identical missile was launched at Israel by Iran during the two countries’ 12-day war in June, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.
The Houthis have been launching ballistic missile and drone attacks on the Jewish state since the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, JNS reported. According to the report, since the end of the latest ceasefire in Gaza on March 18, the Iran-backed terror group has fired over 70 ballistic missiles and over 20 drones at the Jewish state.
Photo from Oneindia News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWZXvxi2CuI
