Yemeni rebel missile hits central Israel

Yemeni rebel missile hits central Israel | Daily Tribune

A missile launched by Yemen’s Hamas-aligned Houthi rebels hit central Israel on Sunday, a rare incident which caused no casualties but added to regional tensions nearly a year into the Gaza war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iran-backed Houthis will pay a “heavy price” for the attack, which started a fire and caused some damage near Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub.

Palestinian group Hamas, whose 7 October attack triggered the war, praised the missile launch, vowing that Israel “will not enjoy security unless it ceases its brutal aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli medics said several people were slightly injured while “on their way to shelters” as sirens sounded.

Glass was broken at a train station in Modiin, about 20 kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv, and police said a fragment of an air-defense interceptor had come down.

The Houthis, who said their strike targeted an Israeli “military position,” are among several Iran-backed groups to have been drawn into the Gaza war.

“They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.

In July, a Houthi drone strike penetrated Israel’s intricate air defenses and killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, at least 1,800 kilometers from Yemen. It prompted retaliatory strikes that caused significant damage and deaths at the rebel-controlled Hodeida port.

Rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi said Sunday’s attack was carried out with a “ballistic missile” that “penetrated” Israel’s defenses.

Israel said an initial inquiry indicated the missile probably fragmented in mid-air, with a military official later telling AFP it was the result of an interception attempt and the missile “was not destroyed.”

Since November the Houthis have targeted Israel and its perceived interests in stated solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, launching dozens of missile and drone strikes that have disrupted global shipping through vital waterways off Yemen.

In a televised speech on the occasion of the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed, the Houthis’ leader said the rebels and their regional allies were “preparing to do even more.”

“Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza continue,” he said.

On Israel’s northern flank, Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement has traded regular cross-border fire with Israeli forces, in cross-border exchanges including on Sunday that threaten to spiral into all-out war.

Israel dropped leaflets over the Lebanese border village of Wazzani urging residents to leave “until the end of the war” against Hezbollah, but Israel’s military told AFP a brigade had taken the initiative without approval.

A cameraman collaborating with AFP saw Syrian families preparing to evacuate their makeshift tents, with young children carrying belongings in plastic bags.

Numerous Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza, which throughout the war have covered most of the besieged Palestinian territory’s area, usually preceded military incursions.

Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has “no intention of going to war,” but if Israel does “unleash” one “there will be large losses on both sides.”