More than a dozen Israelis were wounded after Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at the Jewish state – marking the second attack from the Iran-backed terror group this week, according to the Israeli Defense Force.
The Israeli military said attempts to intercept the rocket attack were unsuccessful as air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas just before impact around 3:30 a.m. local time.
Multiple booms were heard as the air raid sirens blared, causing anxiety among the population who did not know if the sounds were those of Israeli missile interceptions or actual strikes on its territory.
The missile strike sent Israelis fleeing their beds to safety in the middle of the night, resulting in at least 14 people suffering minor injuries from broken glass, The Times of Israel reported.
The moment of impact from a missile attack from Yemen in Tel Aviv. @kann_news/XFew others suffered bruising while escaping to shelter, the outlet reported.
Similar to other rocket attacks from the Houthis and Hezbollah, the latest strike caused a large fire to break out in the area, according to footage shared by the local media outlet.
Israeli emergency services work at the scene of the missile strike on December 21, 2024. REUTERSA video posted to X showed a large crater in the middle of an amusement park in Tel Aviv following the missile strike.
The IDF intercepted at least two other missiles launched by the Houthis, but one slipped by the Iron Dome system, causing the crater.
A crater in an amusement park following the missile attack. @OrRavid/XThe latest attack comes after a series of intense Israeli airstrikes that shook Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city early Thursday killing at least nine people – shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel.
The rocket attack happened after Israel’s military said that its air force intercepted the missile launched from Yemen before it entered the country’s territory.
At least 14 people were injured in the rocket attack. @kann_news/XThe Israeli military said the air strikes weren’t a direct response to the missile launch but instead a preplanned response to months of Houthi aggression, the Associated Press reported.
Israel’s fighter jets were already in the air when the missile was launched.
The Houthis have fired more than 200 missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.
