SANAA: Yemen’s Houthi rebels said on Wednesday that they had fired a ballistic missile at central Israel, with Israeli forces saying they intercepted the attack.

The missile was aimed at the Tel Aviv area, the Houthis said. The Israelis reported it was shot down before it entered Israeli territory.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied area of Yaffa (Tel Aviv) using a hypersonic ballistic missile, type Palestine 2,” a Houthi military statement said. “The operation has successfully achieved its objectives,” it added.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles at Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians since the conflict in Gaza began more than a year ago. Most have been intercepted, but on Saturday an attack that hit Tel Aviv wounded 16 people, prompting a warning from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We will act against the Houthis... with force, determination and sophistication,” he said in a video statement on Sunday.

In the latest attack, air raid sirens sounded over a wide swathe of central Israel as a precaution against falling debris. But the army said it had shot down the projectile before it entered Israel.

No injuries were reported, according to Israel’s emergency medical services.

“A missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory,” the Israeli army wrote on Telegram. On Tuesday, the Israeli army also said it had intercepted a projectile fired from Yemen.

In July, a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. The Houthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes by US and sometimes British forces.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2024