The Yemeni Houthi group claimed responsibility yesterday , Sunday, for launching a hypersonic ballistic missile at Israel, shortly after the Israeli authorities announced the interception of “a missile launched from Yemen .”
The military spokesman for the Ansar Allah group, Yahya Saree, indicated in a statement that “a military operation was carried out targeting a vital target in the Jaffa area” with a “hypersonic” ballistic missile, successfully achieving its goal .
The Israeli army had issued a statement earlier stating that it had “intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it penetrated Israeli airspace.” It added that the missile was shot down after sirens were activated in several areas in central Israel, early Sunday .
The Times of Israel reported that fragments of the rocket fell inside Israel, but there were no reports of serious damage. Emergency services said four people were lightly injured as they ran for cover as sirens sounded .
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthi group, backed by Iran, has continued to launch missiles and drones at Israel, “in solidarity with the Palestinians .”
The group targets navigation in the Red Sea, causing huge losses to this global sector, and countries in the region, most notably Egypt, have been affected due to the decline in revenues from the Suez Canal .
With the ceasefire reached in Lebanon on Tuesday and its implementation beginning on Wednesday morning, the Houthi group announced that it would continue its attacks on Israel .
The group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced on Thursday that his forces would continue their attacks with “missiles and drones” against Israel, threatening “stronger and bigger” attacks.