TEL AVIV: Israel’s military said on Saturday (Dec 21) that it had failed to intercept a “projectile” launched from Yemen that landed in Tel Aviv, with the national medical service saying 16 people were lightly wounded.
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missile attacks against Israel since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago, most of which have been intercepted.
In return, Israel has struck multiple targets in Yemen – including ports and energy facilities in areas controlled by the Houthis.
“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made,” the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.
Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency medical service, said 16 people were injured.
“I was at home and heard a loud explosion. I immediately went to the scene and saw significant blast damage to nearby buildings,” medic Yosef Kourdi was quoted as saying in a statement released by MDA.
“MDA teams provided medical care to 16 individuals who were mildly injured by glass shards from shattered windows in nearby buildings due to the impact of the strike,” the statement said.
“Additionally, 14 others who sustained minor injuries on their way to protected areas and seven individuals suffering from anxiety were treated.”
The Houthi rebels say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and last week pledged to continue operations “until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted”.
On Dec 9, a drone claimed by Houthis exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israel city of Yavne, causing no casualties.
In July, a Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
The Houthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets by United States and sometimes British forces.
The rebels said on Thursday that Israeli air strikes that day killed nine people, after the group fired a missile towards Israel, badly damaging a school.
Israel said that missile had been intercepted and the school hit by falling debris.
While Israel has previously hit targets in Yemen, Thursday’s retaliatory strikes were the first against the rebel-held capital Sanaa.
“The Israeli enemy targeted ports in Hodeida and power stations in Sanaa, and the Israeli aggression resulted in the martyrdom of nine civilian martyrs,” rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a lengthy speech broadcast by the rebels’ Al-Masira TV.
Israel said it struck the targets in Yemen after intercepting a missile fired from the country, a strike the rebels subsequently claimed.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said they had fired ballistic missiles at “two specific and sensitive military targets … in the occupied Yaffa area”, referring to the Jaffa district of Tel Aviv.