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IAF downs Houthi missile fired from Yemen

The Houthis say the target was Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

Israelis take cover on the side of a highway as a ballistic missile from Yemen is intercepted overhead, on the night of December 30, 2024. Photo by Yossi Aloni/Flash90
Israelis take cover on the side of a highway as a ballistic missile from Yemen is intercepted overhead, on the night of December 30, 2024. Photo by Yossi Aloni/Flash90

The Israeli Air Force on Monday night intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Houthi terrorists in Yemen at central Israel, in the seventh such nighttime attack over the past two weeks.

The missile was downed before crossing into Israeli territory, according to the military.

Sirens were nevertheless activated due to fears of falling fragments from the interception.

Israeli media reported that missile debris caused minor damage in the Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, close to Jerusalem.

Houthi officials later claimed to have fired two ballistic missiles, targeting a power station near Jerusalem and Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. All flights to and from Ben Gurion were halted.

In the central city of Yavne, an 18-year-old girl was hit by a vehicle while running to a bomb shelter, according to the Magen David Adom emergency medical service. She sustained light injuries to her chest and limbs and was evacuated to the hospital in stable condition.

There were no other immediate reports of injuries, although several people were treated for acute anxiety, said MDA.

Overnight Friday, the Israel Defense Forces intercepted a Houthi missile that triggered air-raid sirens across the Jerusalem, Judea and Dead Sea areas. It was the first time air-raid sirens sounded in the capital since the Iranian attack on Oct. 1.

The previous night, sirens blared in the greater Tel Aviv area as the IDF intercepted another Houthi missile fired from Yemen. A US-made THAAD anti-missile battery assisted in the interception, in the first such instance since the system was deployed to Israel in October.

Houthi terrorists have launched over 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel in support of Hamas since the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

On Thursday, the Israeli Air Force conducted strikes on the western coast of and deep inside Yemen, including at Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-controlled capital.

The targets included the Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations, in addition to terror infrastructure in the Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib ports.

“These military targets were used by the Houthi terrorist regime to smuggle Iranian weapons into the region and for the entry of senior Iranian officials. This is a further example of the Houthis’ exploitation of civilian infrastructure for military purposes,” the IDF said.

Speaking from IAF headquarters after the strike on the second night of Chanukah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is engaged in a modern-day Maccabean struggle.

“We are determined to cut off this terrorist arm of Iran’s axis of evil,” the prime minister said. “We will persist in this until we complete the task.”

With reporting by JNS.

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