Israel intercepts missile from Yemen, says army

Jerusalem, Dec 25: Israel's air defence systems on Wednesday intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, the Israeli military said in a statement.

The projectile "was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory," the military said.

Sirens sounded across central Israel "due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception," it added.

Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency service, said that it had treated at least nine people who were injured on their way to shelters.

For the fifth time in a week, millions of Israelis were sent to shelters as Houthi militants in Yemen launched a missile attack, the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X.

Houthi forces have launched sporadic missile and drone attacks on Israel since October last year, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has retaliated with several large-scale airstrikes, the most recent of which occurred last Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Tuesday, the Houthi group had said that it had launched a "hypersonic ballistic missile" at Tel Aviv before dawn, an attack that Israel said it had successfully intercepted.

"In support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, we launched a hypersonic ballistic missile at Tel Aviv, targeting a military target," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

He vowed that his group would launch more attacks against Israel and that the US-led airstrikes on his group's targets in Yemen would not stop them.

"We are fully prepared and ready to confront the Israeli-American-British aggression (on Yemen)," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had intercepted a missile launched by Houthis.

The missile, which was aimed at Tel Aviv, triggered air-raid sirens across central and southern Israel, forcing millions of residents to seek shelter just before 2 am local time (0000 GMT).

"A projectile launched from Yemen was intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory," the IDF said in a statement, adding that the sirens were activated as a precaution due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception.

The missile attack came just a day after Houthis launched a drone strike on Israel, which was also intercepted, according to the IDF.