Israel investigating how Houthi missile evaded air defences
Israeli security authorities are investigating how a Houthi missile fired from Yemen hit Jaffa in the early hours of Saturday morning, lightly injuring 23 people.
Israelis in Jaffa clean up debris from a Houthi missile strike on Dec. 21, 2024. Photo by Ari Shalom/TPS-IL
The missile left a crater in a playground between residential buildings. Hebrew media reports indicated that two interceptor missiles both failed to hit the target.
“No further details regarding aerial defense activities and the alert system can be given due to information security considerations,” the Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday. “We emphasize that aerial defense is not hermetic and the public must follow the Home Front Command instructions.”
On Saturday afternoon, a drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthis was shot down after entering Israeli airspace from Egypt.
On Thursday, Israel launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, hitting military assets, ports and energy infrastructure in Sana’a. While the jets were on route, falling debris from an intercepted Houthi ballistic missile fell on a school in Ramat Gan, damaging the building. Nobody was injured in that incident.
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack, the Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel. The majority have been intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace. Israel launched airstrikes on the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah in July and September.
Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Houthi leaders against retaliating, saying, “Israel’s long hand will reach you as well. Whoever raises a hand against the State of Israel—his hand will be cut off.”
The Houthis vowed in early December to target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea, regardless of its ownership. They have attacked or harassed around 100 ships, hijacked the MV Galaxy Leader in November 2023 and are holding its crew of 25 hostage.
From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened ships in the Red Sea as they traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Straits, a narrow maritime choke point between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. The majority of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.
