On Friday night, as Israelis celebrated the Jewish sabbath, the bomb sirens were sounded in Central Israel and Jerusalem.
By Rachel Avraham
The IDF on Friday evening, shortly after 10:20 p.m., identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, adding that aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, sirens sounded in central Israel, including in Tel Aviv, as well as in Jerusalem and in the Shfela regions shortly afterwards.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said at 10:28 p.m., “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF.” It added that sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, Magen David Adom said that no reports were received about injuries. The Times of Israel also noted that no damage was reported.
The launch from Yemen was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow-3 system, in what was the third time since Wednesday that the Houthis had fired a missile towards Israel and was then intercepted, Maariv reported. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Houthis said it had attacked Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile.
Senior level Houthi terrorist Hezam al-Asad, who often posts messages threatening Israel on X, wrote following Friday’s missile attack, “The Yemeni people, under their courageous leadership and armed forces, will not abandon Gaza.”
In a statement, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the strike was carried out using a “Palestine 2” missile, successfully hitting its target, disrupting airport operations, and sending civilians scrambling to shelters, Shafeq News reported. According to the report, the Houthis utilized a ‘hypersonic ballistic missile.’
The last projectile to fire towards Israeli territory was only several hours prior, but was from Gaza when a launch from the northern part of the Strip triggered a siren in the Netiv HaAsara moshav, the Jerusalem Post reported. According to the report, Wednesday’s missile from Yemen had triggered sirens in the Dead Sea and surrounding areas.
A Wall Street Journal report published hours before the Houthis’ attack on Friday stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran was accelerating efforts to rearm its militia allies across the Middle East. More than a week ago, Germany had called on the Islamic Republic to restrain the Yemen-based terrorist organization, with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul condemning their attacks in the Red Sea, the Jerusalem Post reported.
According to the Times of Israel, the Houthis began attacking Israel and shipping lanes in November 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the war there between its ally Hamas and the IDF. According to the report, traffic through the Red Sea, a critical waterway for the world’s oil and commodities, has markedly dropped due to the targeting of ships, which the Houthis claim is linked to Israel. In response to the attacks, Israel has carried out several strikes on Houthi-linked targets in Yemen, including the port city of Hodeida earlier this month, the Times of Israel reported.
