After Israel attacked the senior level Hamas leadership in Qatar, the Houthis fired a missile at Jerusalem.
By Rachel Avraham
At 8:05pm on Tuesday evening, the bomb sirens were sounded in Abu Ghosh, Bat Ayin, Beit Shemesh, Beitar Illit, Efrat, Ein Geddi, Gush Etzion, Even Sapir, Har Gilo, Hebron, Jerusalem, Kiryat Arba, Latrun, Mini Israel, and other areas across the greater Jerusalem area.
The bomb sirens sent thousands of Israelis rushing to bomb shelters, just hours after Israel attacked the Hamas leadership in Qatar. The IDF announced that the missile, which was fired from Yemen, was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force.
Yedioth Achronot reported that the attack came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was attending an event at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. According to the report, air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport was temporarily halted. Arutz Sheva reported that there are no reports of injuries.
The IAF downed three UAVs on Monday in the span of 30 minutes, JNS reported. According to the report, the drones, launched by Houthi terrorists, triggered air-raid sirens in the Arava area and southern Negev Desert, the military added. JNS reported that the downing of the third drone did not trigger sirens, in accordance with policy, the IDF noted without disclosing its location. On Sunday, a Houthi explosive drone crashed into Ramon Airport near Eilat, shortly after the IAF intercepted three UAVs launched from Yemen. Two people were injured.
The attack by the Houthi terrorist organization comes after Israel launched a historic series of airstrikes in Qatar earlier Tuesday afternoon, targeting the Hamas terrorist organization’s leadership in Doha, Arutz Sheva reported.
“The days when terror leaders enjoyed diplomatic immunity are over,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference on Tuesday at the US Embassy in Israel’s Independence Day event following Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, the Jerusalem Post reported.
“This strike could mean the end of the war in Gaza. Israel has accepted the proposal put forward by President Trump, beginning with the immediate release of all our hostages from the hands of Hamas,” he said, and added that after this, the Middle East could begin to work on “the expansion of peace in the region.”
“We received the order from President Trump to end the war and bring all of the hostages home,” said Netanyahu. “Yesterday, four of our soldiers were killed in Gaza, and six Israeli civilians were brutally murdered at a bus stop in Jerusalem in a terror attack. This morning, Hamas proudly took responsibility for both of these actions,” he started saying during the conference, the Jerusalem Post noted. “At noon today, I convened the heads of Israel’s security organizations and ordered a surgical precision strike on the terrorist chiefs of Hamas,” he announced.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Hamas claims that Israel eliminated five Hamas members in Qatar: Jihad Labad, the director of Hayya’s office; Humam al-Hayya, the son of Hayya; Abdullah Abdul Wahid; Moamen Hassouna; and Ahmed al-Mamluk. Most of the Hamas ceasefire negotiation team survived the attack according to Hamas. Israeli officials claim that nevertheless the Qatar strikes will still help to advance a hostage deal. “At first, Hamas will likely declare that there will be no negotiations and no deal, but in the end – the talks will resume,” an Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post
Photo from AFP News Agency: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPdZJinToog
