Houthi-launched ballistic missile sends 2 million Israelis into bomb shelters, destroys elementary school near Tel Aviv.
By World Israel News Staff
Houthi terrorists in Yemen said on Thursday morning that they had fired two ballistic missiles at central Israel hours earlier, claiming that the launches marked a victory for the Shia-aligned anti-Israel proxy groups in the region.
“The operation has successfully achieved its objectives,” read a statement published by Yemen’s state news agency, Saba.
The statement claimed that the missile attack had occurred “simultaneously” with Israeli airstrikes on Houthi-controlled ports, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities.
“The Israeli aggression will not deter Yemen and the Yemenis from performing their religious and moral duty in responding to its massacres in the Gaza Strip,” the Houthis said.
At around 2:30 AM on Thursday, the Houthis fired at least one missile at Israel, triggering air raid sirens that sent some 2 million people into bomb shelters.
Although the IDF said the missile was intercepted, an elementary school in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan was completely destroyed.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch told Hebrew-language media that he believed the educational institution had suffered a direct hit from the missile, while military officials claimed that the extensive damage was caused by shrapnel from the interception.
Minutes after the missile was launched, Israel struck three major ports and other strategic infrastructure, killing at least nine people.
In a media statement, Hamas condemned Israel’s bombing of Yemen, which also blamed Jerusalem for the recent ouster of the Assad regime in Syria.
“We regard this escalation as a dangerous development and an extension of the aggression against our Palestinian people, Syria and the Arab region,” the terror group said.
In a separate statement, Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, urged the Houthis to continue their aggression against the Jewish State.
“We commend the missile attack carried out by our loyal brothers, the Ansar Allah in Yemen, targeting the heart of the Zionist entity,” they said.
The Houthis are the last remaining Iranian proxy group in the region that has not been significantly battered by the IDF.
Recent months have seen the Hezbollah and Hamas terror groups, which are funded by Iran, suffer serious blows to their leadership, operatives, and capability to attack Israel.
Since November, it’s believed that the Houthis have launched at least a dozen explosive drones and missiles at the Jewish State.