IDF downs Houthi missile fired at central Israel from Yemen

IDF: ‘One missile that was launched from Yemeni territory was intercepted and shot down before it crossed into Israeli territory.’

By JNS

Air-raid sirens pealed in the greater Tel Aviv area on Monday afternoon after Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired a missile at the Jewish state from Yemen, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed.

“Following alerts that were activated a short time ago in central Israel, one missile that was launched from Yemeni territory was intercepted and shot down before it crossed into Israeli territory,” the IDF said.

Air-raid sirens were activated to warn civilians for the possibility of falling missile fragments following the interception, the army said.

The Magen David Adom emergency response group said it treated five people who were lightly injured while running for cover amid the attack. The injured were evacuated to a hospital for treatment, MDA added.

Earlier on Monday, an Israeli Navy ship intercepted a drone over the Red Sea that was launched by the Houthis. The UAV was downed before crossing into Israeli territory, according to the military.

Hezam Alasad, a senior member of the terror militia’s political bureau, vowed in a Hebrew-language X post on Monday night, “The Israeli enemy will pay a price for its continued brutal aggression and siege on our people in Gaza [and] its attacks and invasions in Syria.”

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces intercepted a Houthi drone headed for the city of Eilat. That UAV likewise did not cross into Israeli airspace.

On Dec. 9, a Houthi drone hit a residential high-rise building in the central Israeli city of Yavne, northeast of Ashdod.

On Dec. 1, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen triggered sirens in the Judean foothills. The missile was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace, the IDF said. Four people were injured running to shelters, according to Magen David Adom.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched multiple missiles and drones at Israel in support of Hamas since the Gaza-based terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of the northwestern Negev.

In July, a Houthi drone killed a civilian in central Tel Aviv. In response, Israel struck Yemen’s Hodeidah Port.

On Sept. 29, the Israeli Air Force carried out dozens of strikes in the area of Hodeidah. The targets included “power plants and a seaport, which were used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil,” the IDF said.