Sanaa, Dec 25 (IANS) Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility on Wednesday morning for launching a long-range ‘ballistic missile’ toward Tel Aviv.
“Our missile force bombed a military target in Tel Aviv by using a hypersonic ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
“Our military operations against Israel will continue until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on it is lifted,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s air defence systems intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, the Israeli military said in a statement.
The projectile “was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory,” the military added.
Sirens had sounded across central Israel “due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception”, it further noted.
Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency service, reported treating at least nine people who were injured while on their way to shelters.
For the fifth time in a week, millions of Israelis were sent to shelters as Houthi militants in Yemen launched a missile attack, the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X.
Since October of the previous year, Houthi forces had launched sporadic missile and drone attacks on Israel, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
In retaliation, Israel had carried out several large-scale airstrikes, with the most recent occurring last Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Houthi group claimed to have launched a “hypersonic ballistic missile” at Tel Aviv before dawn, an attack that Israel said it had successfully intercepted.
“In support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, we launched a hypersonic ballistic missile at Tel Aviv, targeting a military target,” said Houthi military spokesperson Sarea in a statement aired by al-Masirah TV.
He vowed that his group would launch more attacks against Israel and that the US-led airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen would not stop them.
“We are fully prepared and ready to confront the Israeli-American-British aggression (on Yemen),” he said.
The IDF on Tuesday said that it intercepted a missile launched by the Houthis.
The missile, aimed at Tel Aviv, had triggered air-raid sirens across central and southern Israel, forcing millions of residents to seek shelter just before 2 am local time (0000 GMT).
–IANS
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