Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would make the Iran-backed Houthis, who control northern Yemen, pay a “heavy price”, as the Houthis on Sunday reached central Israel with a missile for the first time.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sareya said the group launched the attack with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that covered the 2,040 km (1,270 miles) in just 11 and a half minutes.
After initially saying the missile had fallen in an open area, the Israeli military later said it may have broken up in mid-air, with pieces of the interceptor falling in fields and near a railway station. There were no reports of injuries.
Moments before the attack at 6:35 a.m. local time (0335 GMT), air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel, prompting residents to rush for shelter. Loud explosions were heard.
Reuters saw smoke rising over an open field in central Israel.
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the Houthis must know that Israel will pay a “heavy price” for their attacks.
“Anyone who needs a reminder of this is invited to come to the port of Hodeida,” Netanyahu said, referring to Israeli airstrikes in July in response to Houthi drones that attacked Tel Aviv, Yemen.
Since the Gaza war began with a Hamas attack on Israel in October, the Houthis have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Drones first attacked Tel Aviv in July, killing one person and wounding four. Israeli airstrikes killed six people and wounded 80 in retaliatory attacks on Houthi military positions near the port of Hodeidah.
Previously, Houthi missiles had not penetrated deep into Israeli airspace, with only one missile reported in March falling into Israeli territory in an open area near the Red Sea port of Eilat.
“Israel should expect more attacks in the future as we approach the first anniversary of the October 7 operation, including responding to its offensive against the city of Hodeidah,” Sariya said.
Nasreddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, said in a post on X on Sunday that the missile had reached Israel “after 20 failed missile launches”, describing it as “a beginning”.
The Israeli military also said that 40 missiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israel on Sunday and were either intercepted or fell in open areas.
“There were no reports of any injuries,” the army said.
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