Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia on Sunday claimed a ballistic missile fired at Israel and vowed further attacks.
Houthi military spokesman Yehya Saree said the attack was carried out with a new hypersonic ballistic missile against an Israeli military target in Jaffa.
“It covered an estimated distance of 2,040 kilometres in 11:30 minutes,” he said in a televised statement.
“The Israeli enemy should expect more strikes and specific operations,” he added.
The Houthis have claimed several attacks against Israel since the eruption of the Gaza war in October last year.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military said a ballistic missile fired from Yemen had been intercepted.
The surface-to-surface missile came from the east and landed in an open area, the Israeli army reported. Warning sirens had sounded in the centre of the country.
Explosive sounds heard in the early hours were due to the missile interception, the military said, adding that it was reviewing the outcome.
The Jerusalem Post daily reported that the ballistic missile had been fired towards the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
The Arrow 3 missile defence system had apparently failed to intercept the projectile before it entered the atmosphere. Only on the second attempt did the Arrow 2 defence system manage to hit it over Israeli airspace.
According to media reports, missile fragments landed in various parts of the country, including in the cities of Modiin and Rehovot. Israel has a multi-tiered missile defence system.
Following a fatal drone attack on Tel Aviv by the Houthis earlier this year, the Israeli Air Force attacked the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah in July, leading to a massive fire and six deaths. The Houthi leader subsequently announced a new phase in the fight against Israel.
The Houthi militants have also been attacking ships in the Red Sea and said they want to force an end to the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, which follow the unprecedented massacres by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in Israel during the October 7 raid.
