Yemeni’s New Hypersonic Missile Hits Central Israel For The First Time, No Casualties Involved
By
OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Israel, now on high alert, after a ballistic missile was fired from over 1,000 miles in Yemen reached the centre of the country for the first time.
People were seen rushing to shelters as air raid sirens were sounded in central regions of the country at around 6.30am local time on Sunday, including at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport.
Loud noises were also heard, which the Israeli military said came from missile interceptors as they tried to shoot it down.
Israeli officials said parts from the missile fell in an unpopulated “open area” in Kfar Daniel, about 4 miles (7km) from Ben Gurion Airport. There were no injuries or fatalities reported.
Other parts landed in a train station’s escalator in the central town of Modiin.
Israeli Forces said the missile “most likely fragmented in mid-air”.
A spokesperson for the Houthis, who control large areas of Yemen, claimed responsibility and warned Israel it should expect “more strikes and specific operations to come”.
Sunday’s incident is believed to be the first time a surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen has reached Israel.
Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer said the weapon used was a “new hypersonic ballistic missile” that “the enemy’s defence systems failed to intercept and confront”.
He also said that “It crossed a distance of 2,040km in 11-and-a-half minutes, and caused a state of fear and panic among the Zionists, as more than two million Zionists headed to shelters for the first time in the history of the Israeli enemy…
“The geographical challenges, the American-British aggression, and the monitoring, espionage and interception systems will not prevent beloved Yemen from performing its religious, moral and humanitarian duty in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Houthis would pay a “heavy price” for the attack.
He also told a cabinet meeting Sunday that the current situation would “not continue”.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have been carrying out military action since last October in an attempt to pressure Israel to end its assault in Gaza, also attacking vessels in the Red Sea region.
A Houthi drone attack also killed one person and wounded four in Tel Aviv in July. It prompted Israel to carry out air strikes on Yemen which killed six people and injured eighty.
Houthi targeting of shipping in the Red Sea has continued this summer despite the US and UK also carrying out bombing raids on Yemen in an attempt to halt the attacks.
On Sunday, Gaza’s Hamas-run health health ministry has said that more than 41,000 Palestinians had now been killed since Israel launched its offensive in the territory.
Officials said over 95,000 others had also been injured.
