Yemen’s Houthis claim responsibility for missile attack on central Israel

SANAA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) — Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a missile attack on central Israel, according to a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
“To support the Palestinian people and Hamas, we carried out a qualitative military operation through which we targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the Jaffa area,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement.
“The operation was carried out with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that succeeded in reaching its target, and the enemy’s defenses failed to intercept it,” he said, adding that this type of missile could evade aerial shield systems on land and sea.
The group vowed to launch more such strikes on Israel, as the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, is marking its first anniversary, said the spokesman, noting that coming attacks are also in retaliation for an earlier Israeli attack on the Yemeni city of Hodeidah.
Earlier in the day, Israeli media outlets reported that a missile hit the center of Israel and that the Israeli authorities are investigating the performance of the Israeli advanced aerial shield.
On July, 20, Israel launched airstrikes on the Houthi-controlled Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, destroying its fuel storage tanks. The strikes occurred a day after the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a building in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, killing one person and wounding several others, according to Israeli media.
Since November last year, the Houthis have been launching missiles and drone attacks targeting what the Houthis said were “Israeli-linked” ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as targets in Israel, to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. ■