Sanaa: Yemen’s Houthi military spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday that the group had launched a ballistic missile towards Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel, which was reportedly intercepted by Israel’s defence systems earlier in the day.
The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement broadcast by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that the attack “has achieved its goal.”
The strike was in response to the ongoing Israeli war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, Sarea said, vowing the group would continue launching ballistic missile attacks towards Israel and Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea until what he said “the Israeli aggression on Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted.”
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel in the early hours of Thursday, after air raid sirens sounded in several areas, including Tel Aviv.
Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said it had received no reports of injuries, Xinhua news agency reported.
The attack came a few hours after the Houthi armed forces released a video late Wednesday, showing the group’s attack and sinking of the Eternity C, a Greek-owned bulk carrier in the Red Sea, marking the second vessel the group says it has sunk within four days.
Earlier on July 6, Yemen’s Houthi armed forces had claimed responsibility for a “hypersonic ballistic missile” attack on Israel, which was reportedly intercepted by Israeli defence systems.
In a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea had said the missile was targeted at Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel.
He claimed the attack had achieved its objective, temporarily halting air traffic in Israel and causing thousands of Israelis to rush to shelters before dawn.
Sarea emphasised that the Houthis would continue to launch such attacks in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza until the ongoing war and the blockade against the enclave are ended. He also warned that the Houthi forces are prepared for any potential escalation by Israel.
The missile was launched on the same day, al-Masirah TV reported.
Before dawn (Israel time), Israel’s Channel 12 reported that a “projectile” fired from Yemen had been intercepted by Israeli defence systems, though shrapnel from the missile caused a fire near Jerusalem.
No further details were provided, and no casualties were reported.
On Saturday, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement to resume talks in Qatar regarding hostages and a ceasefire deal.
(IANS)
