Yemen Houthi rebels fire missile at central Israel

Palestinian children play next to buildings destroyed by Israel (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has targeted central Israel, sounding sirens and causing people to flee into bomb shelters.

The Israeli military said several attempts were made to intercept a missile that was launched from Yemen and “the missile was likely intercepted”.

The Magen David Adom emergency service in Israel said there were no injuries from the missile or falling debris, although some suffered injuries when running to shelters.

The Houthis were blamed for another missile attack on Monday night. Israel’s military said it intercepted that missile before it entered Israeli territory.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014, have launched direct attacks on Israel and some 100 commercial ships as part of their campaign over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The rebels did not immediately acknowledge the attack, though it can take hours or even days for them to claim an assault.