Monday, December 16, 2024

HOUTHIS CONTINUE TO FIRE MISSILES AND DRONES AT ISRAEL

Houthi ballistic missile triggers sirens in Tel Aviv and across central Israel

IDF says missile shot down outside country, with sirens sounding to warn of possible falling shrapnel; 5 injured while running for shelter

 

 

Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed to have unleashed a hypersonic ballistic missile to strike central Israel for the first time. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea shared this photo of the apparent hypersonic missile today  

Yemen's Houthis are pictured with a ballistic missile

 

A ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen set off sirens across most of central Israel on Monday afternoon for the first time in that area in close to a month.

The IDF said that the missile was successfully shot down by air defenses before crossing the country’s borders. It said that sirens sounded across central Israel over fears of falling shrapnel following the interception.

According to reports, shrapnel from the interceptor fell in the northern West Bank and did not cause any injuries.

The sirens rang out across Tel Aviv, Holon, Rishon Lezion, Petah Tikva, Ramat Gan, Herzliya and many surrounding areas, including several settlements in the northern West Bank.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said its medics treated five people who were lightly injured while running for cover during the sirens in Tel Aviv, Petah Tikvah, Kfar Saba, Holon and at the Em Hamoshavot junction. The injured were taken to hospital for treatment, MDA said in a statement.

Earlier Monday morning, a drone launched from Yemen was shot down by an Israeli Navy missile boat over the Mediterranean Sea, without setting off any sirens.

 

Houthi supporters burn American and Israeli flags during a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Nov. 8, 2024. 

The last time sirens sounded in central Tel Aviv was November 18, following long-range rocket fire from Lebanon, with five people wounded by shrapnel in the Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan area. On November 24, sirens sounded in Ramat Gan, Herzliya, Hod Hasharon, Petah Tikva and nearby towns after six rockets were fired from Lebanon, wounding several people.

Since November, the Iran-backed Houthis have launched six ballistic missiles and at least five drones at Israel.

Last week, senior military officials said the IDF was considering carrying out new strikes in Yemen in response to the recent attacks.

Israel has twice bombed Houthi targets — in July and September — in retaliation for its ballistic missile and drone attacks, one of which killed a man in Tel Aviv.

Last week a drone fired by Houthis in Yemen smashed into an apartment building in the central city of Yavne, causing significant damage but no injuries. The drone did not set off any sirens in the city, and an IDF investigation later said that the drone had been mistakenly flagged as nonthreatening.

The Houthi rebels, part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and the United States, have fired hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones at Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war, which was triggered by Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

The Houthis have also waged a harassment campaign against shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, severely disrupting the vital trade route.

1 comment:

bob walsh said...

We need to turn Yemen into a parking lot. They will quit shooting at people when they are all dead.