According to Israeli Channel 12, air defense systems failed to intercept the missile, which landed in an uninhabited area near the airport.
The Israeli military reported on Sunday that a surface-to-surface missile was fired from Yemen toward central Israel, landing in an uninhabited area near Tel Aviv.
The missile, which traveled approximately 2,000 kilometers, entered Israeli airspace from the eastern border after a 15-minute flight. Moments earlier, air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and central Israel, prompting residents to seek shelter.
The Israeli ambulance service confirmed that nine people were injured while rushing to shelters as the missile approached.
Israeli police stated that the rocket landed in the town of Kfar Daniel, near the Ben Gurion Airport, causing fires in forested areas and damage to a major train station near the town of Modiin.
The Yemeni Armed Forces, affiliated with the Ansarallah, published scenes from the targeting of Tel Aviv with a 'Yaffa' drone, along with scenes from its inauguration.
The Israeli army confirmed that the Yemeni missile traveled about two thousand kilometers to reach Israel,… pic.twitter.com/G56zk1YaxR
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) September 15, 2024
According to Israeli Channel 12, air defense systems failed to intercept the missile, which landed in an uninhabited area near the airport. The Israeli Air Force is reportedly investigating the delay in detecting and intercepting the missile.
A spokesperson for the Ansarallah movement in Yemen, which claimed responsibility for the attack, stated that Israel’s air defenses had failed, declaring that Israel’s “depth has become completely exposed to the Yemeni armed forces.”
Media reports cited by Al-Jazeera suggested that the missile was targeting Ben Gurion Airport and fell southeast of it.
Channel 13 reportedly explained that the missile’s flight took around 15 minutes and raised questions about the timing of its detection by Israel’s air defense systems.
In July, an Israeli civilian was killed, and 10 others were injured when a drone launched by the Ansarallah exploded in central Tel Aviv, not far from the US embassy. The Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attack as well.
ISRAELI AMBULANCE SERVICE: Nine Israelis were injured while rushing to shelters after a ballistic missile coming from Yemen made impact near Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/JadYBsOaz0
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) September 15, 2024
Media reports cited by Al-Jazeera suggested that the missile was targeting Ben Gurion Airport and fell southeast of it.
In response to the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, the Ansarallah have been targeting Israeli or Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea with missiles and drones in a show of “solidarity with Gaza.”
Strong Warning
The Yemeni Defense Minister and Chief of General Staff in Sanaa issued a strong warning on Saturday to the “enemies of the nation” and the “evil trio” of the United States, Britain, and Israel, declaring that the forthcoming retaliation will be “harsher and more severe than anything they have faced in the past.”
In a statement celebrating the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), Defense Minister Major General Mohammed Nasser Al-Atifi and Major General Mohammed Al-Ghamari highlighted that “the enemies have tasted defeat at sea,” warning that “what happened at sea is not far from what will happen on land.”
The site where the ballistic missile from Yemen made impact, southeast of Tel Aviv. near the Gezer power plant. pic.twitter.com/mcPsmzMxMn
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) September 15, 2024
The two generals pledged to transform Yemen’s response to the Israeli military’s attack on the port of Hodeidah into a “nightmare for the enemies” that would jeopardize their security. In their message to Israel, they stated, “the coming days hold surprises (the enemy) will not expect” and “could (have) never imagined.”
They also reaffirmed that Yemen’s armed forces, across all divisions and formations, remain prepared “to protect our homeland and sacred sites.”
The generals further stressed that Yemen “will respond with an iron fist,” vowing neither to forgive nor forget the attack, and ensuring that the “enemy will regret the day it attacked us.”
(PC, AJA, Al-Mayadeen)
