Jerusalem, Jan 3 (IANS) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in two separate statements that it successfully intercepted a missile and a drone fired by the Houthi group in Yemen on Friday.
The missile, launched at approximately 4:30 am local time (0230 GMT), triggered air raid sirens across central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, sending millions of residents rushing to shelters. Israel’s national emergency service, Magen David Adom, reported that 12 people sustained injuries while heading to safety.
According to the IDF, the missile was intercepted after it entered Israeli airspace, with fragments landing near the city of Modi’in in central Israel. The missile’s engine was later found in the backyard of a house in the Israeli settlement of Har Gilo, located in the West Bank near Jerusalem, causing minor damage.
Flights at Ben Gurion International Airport were temporarily halted for about 30 minutes due to the missile launch, with two flights diverted to Larnaca, Cyprus.
Later in the morning, the IDF announced the interception of a drone launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli territory. In this case, sirens were not activated.
On December 28, the IDF had similarly intercepted another missile from Yemen targeting Jerusalem, activating air raid sirens across the region, prompting hundreds of thousands of residents to seek shelter. Israeli fighter jets responded with airstrikes on Yemeni targets, including the international airport in Sanaa and power stations, resulting in at least six fatalities.
Additionally, on December 27, the Houthi group claimed to have launched a “hypersonic ballistic missile” aimed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The group asserted that the missile hit its target, causing casualties and disrupting air traffic, although the Israeli military denied the claims.
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