A missile fired from Yemen struck Tel Aviv overnight into Saturday, according to Israeli officials, in a rare case of a failed interception over the city.
Israel’s military claimed the projectile landed in Tel Aviv’s southern Jaffa neighborhood, and that efforts to intercept a Yemeni missile failed immediately after alarms sounded in the region.
According to emergency workers, more than a dozen people sustained minor injuries, but no deaths were reported.
Tel Aviv, Israel’s second-largest city, serves as the country’s business and diplomatic centre. Direct attacks from munitions thrown at the seaside city are uncommon due to Israel’s robust air defenses.
After the strike, the Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen said they fired a hypersonic ballistic missile labelled “Palestine 2” at an Israeli military target in the Jaffa area early on Saturday.
At least 16 people sustained minor injuries from glass fragments that broke in nearby buildings, Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said.
In addition, 14 victims were treated for slight injuries they sustained seeking shelter, as well as seven panic victims.
Since Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza started in October last year, the country has come under fire from missiles and rockets from Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, both Iran-backed militant groups, as well as from Iran itself.
Almost all of the projectiles have been intercepted by Israel’s air defences.
