9 Israelis injured as Houthis fire missile towards central Israel

JERUSALEM (AA/AFP) – Nine Israelis were injured on Sunday as they rushed to shelters following the launch of a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen towards central Israel.

Yemen’s Houthis claimed a missile attack on central Israel hours after the Israeli military said a missile fell into an open area, causing no injuries.
The Houthis “targeted a military position of the Israeli enemy in the Jaffa area” using a “ballistic missile that succeeded in reaching its target”, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement, adding that “the enemy’s defences failed to intercept it”.

In a brief statement, the Israeli army said that “following the alerts activated in central Israel, a surface-to-surface missile was detected entering the country from the east and landed in an open area without causing any injuries.”

The army added that the missile was launched from Yemen, and the explosive sounds heard moments earlier were due to the interceptor missiles. The Israeli army also said the results of the interception are under investigation.

Daily Haaretz reported that the missile landed in an open area in central Israel on Sunday morning. Following its detection, numerous alarms were activated in illegal settlements across central Israel, and interceptor missiles were launched from both the Arrow and Iron Dome systems. The army is still determining whether the interception was fully successful.

Haaretz also said fragments from the interceptor missiles landed at a train station on the outskirts of Modi’in in central Israel, causing damage.

Israeli Army Radio reported that “the ballistic missile launched from Yemen traveled a distance of approximately 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles).”

The radio added that the air force is considering the possibility that one of the Arrow interceptor missiles partially hit the incoming missile from Yemen.

Israel’s emergency medical services confirmed in a statement that nine people suffered minor injuries in various locations across central Israel.

Separately, a fire erupted at a cement factory in Ramla at the time of the missile attack.

According to Israeli Channel 14, the fire started on a conveyor belt at the Nesher plant. The fire was reported at 6:30 a.m. local time (0430GMT), just as missile defense systems across the country were activated.

The cause of the blaze is being investigated by the fire department.

The Houthis in Yemen have been targeting ships that are Israeli-owned, flagged, operated or headed to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under a devastating Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.