Air raid sirens were activated Tuesday evening across numerous cities in central Israel, the Jerusalem area and the Negev Desert after a missile was launched from Yemen, authorities said.
The IDF confirmed that the incoming missile was successfully intercepted. The Home Front Command later announced that civilians could safely exit bomb shelters. No injuries or damage were reported, according to the Magen David Adom national emergency service.
Missile fired from Yemen seen over Jerusalem
(Video: Gilad Cohen, Yossi Damari, Kobi Kuenkas )
The sirens sounded at 8:27 p.m. in regions including the Dan area, Shfela, Judea, Yarkon, Lachish, the Dead Sea and the Negev. About seven minutes earlier, the IDF had issued an alert that a missile had been detected heading toward Israeli territory from Yemen and that air defense systems were being deployed.
The launch also briefly closed Israeli airspace to takeoffs and landings, which resumed shortly after.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a similar strike Saturday morning, when sirens were heard in Be’er Sheva, the Dead Sea region, Arad and Dimona. That missile was also intercepted, with no reported casualties or impact sites.
Last Thursday, the Houthis launched a missile toward Israel in the evening hours, though it fell short of Israeli territory and did not trigger alarms.
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While Iran launched heavy missile salvos during what Israeli media have dubbed the “12-Day War,” Houthi involvement was relatively limited—something Israeli officials believe may be linked to a targeted airstrike on June 14 that severely wounded Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, the Houthi military chief and head of its missile program.
An Israeli official said al-Ghamari was targeted during a qat-chewing meeting, a traditional Yemeni pastime. A Yemeni security source told Ynet that the strike hit his headquarters in an upscale neighborhood, prompting emergency response and roadblocks.
Days before the Israel-Iran conflict escalated, Israeli Navy vessels struck Houthi-linked sites at Hodaiedah Port, which the IDF said was used for weapons smuggling and represented the Houthis' use of civilian infrastructure for military purposes.