Second Houthi missile attack targets Israel in two days
A missile launched by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group struck a public park in southern Tel Aviv overnight Friday after Israeli air defenses failed to intercept it.
A missile launched by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group struck a public park in southern Tel Aviv overnight Friday after Israeli air defenses failed to intercept it.
The impact of the ballistic missile caused sirens to sound across central Israel at 3:44 a.m., sending millions of residents rushing to shelters. This was the second such attack on Tel Aviv since Thursday.
The explosion injured 16 people, mostly with minor injuries from shattered glass, including a three-year-old girl. Another 14 individuals sustained bruises while rushing to shelter. Footage from the site revealed a crater in the park caused by the missile.
The Israeli military confirmed that the missile originated in Yemen, acknowledging that attempted interceptions were unsuccessful. It was the second such incident within days. On Thursday, a Houthi missile partially intercepted outside Israeli airspace crashed into an empty school building in Ramat Gan, causing significant damage but no injuries. Earlier that week, another missile triggered alarms across the country.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they had targeted a "military site" in the Jaffa area in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli police also reported receiving alerts of a fallen missile in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa region.
Israel blamed Iran on Thursday and launched waves of fighter bombers to hit Houthi military and economic targets.
This latest strike follows Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeting ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-controlled Yemen. The Israeli military has warned of further attacks on the group, which has increasingly launched missiles and drones toward Israel amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.
