Egypt Daily News – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a stern warning to the Houthi group following the launch of a ground-to-ground missile that landed in an open area in central Israel.
There were no casualties reported from the incident. Netanyahu emphasized, “The Houthis must know that they will pay a heavy price” for their actions.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a preliminary investigation and reported that the missile, which originated from Yemen, disintegrated in the air before reaching its intended target.
Despite the missile’s trajectory of approximately 2,000 kilometers, which typically takes around 15 minutes to cover, there was a notable delay in its detection and interception, raising concerns about monitoring system shortcomings.
Former commander of the Israeli air defense system, Tzvika Chaimevitch, noted that the ballistics missile took an unusually long time to reach its target, with attempts to intercept it acknowledged but without clear results.
Although the missile was reported to have exploded in a field near Modiin, it did cause damage to a train station and activated sirens in over 50 communities.
The Houthis confirmed that they had targeted a “military objective” in Israel, stating that the missile was a new hypersonic ballistic missile and claiming success in the operation due to the failure of Israeli defenses to intercept it.
In this tense atmosphere, Hamas commended the missile launch from Yemen, reinforcing their stance that Israel cannot secure peace without addressing the situation in Gaza.
Earlier reports from the Israeli military indicated that sirens were activated due to the missile traversing Israeli airspace. The IDF reassured that protective measures for civilians remained unchanged, despite the alarm caused by the incident.
The context of these hostilities includes previous Houthi attacks, such as a July drone strike on Tel Aviv that resulted in fatalities and injuries, prompting significant Israeli military retaliation against Houthi positions.
The ongoing conflict between Israel, Hamas, and the Houthis continues to escalate tensions in the region, particularly surrounding the use of long-range weaponry.
