16 Injured After Missile Launched By Yemen Lands Near Tel Aviv, Says Israel

Israel’s military said Saturday it had failed to intercept a “projectile” launched from Yemen that landed near Tel Aviv, with the national medical service saying 16 people were lightly wounded.

“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made,” the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Huthi rebels have repeatedly launched missile attacks against Israel since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago, most of which have been intercepted.

In return, Israel has struck multiple targets in Yemen — including ports and energy facilities in areas controlled by the Huthis.

“A short time ago, reports were received of a weapon falling in one of the settlements within the Tel Aviv district,” Israeli police said Saturday.

According to Israeli media, the projectile fell in the town of Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv.

Israel’s emergency medical service said 14 people had been injured.

“Additional teams are treating several people on-site who were injured while heading to protected areas, as well as those suffering from anxiety,” a spokesman said.

The Huthi rebels say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and last week pledged to continue operations “until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted”.

On December 9, a drone claimed by Huthis exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israel city of Yavne, causing no casualties.

In July, a Huthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

The Huthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes on Huthi targets by US and sometimes British forces.

The rebels said Thursday that Israeli air strikes that day killed nine people, after the group fired a missile toward Israel, badly damaging a school.

While Israel has previously hit targets in Yemen, Thursday’s were the first against the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

“The Israeli enemy targeted ports in Hodeida and power stations in Sanaa, and the Israeli aggression resulted in the martyrdom of nine civilian martyrs,” rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi said in a lengthy speech broadcast by the rebels’ Al-Masira TV.

Israel said it struck the targets in Yemen after intercepting a missile fired from the country, a strike the rebels subsequently claimed.

Huthi spokesman Yahya Saree said they had fired ballistic missiles at “two specific and sensitive military targets… in the occupied Yaffa area”, referring to the Jaffa region near Tel Aviv.