Photo by
Yossi Zeliger/TPS-IL on 19 December, 2024
Israel Intercepts Houthi Missile for Second Consecutive Night
Jerusalem, 25 December, 2024 (TPS-IL) -- Israeli air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the second night in a row residents of Tel Aviv were forced to take shelter.
The Israel Defense Forces said the missile was shot down before it reached Israeli air space.
Magen David Adom said responders said treated nine people for injuries suffered while making their way to protected spaces and two others for panic attacks.
The missile was the fourth fired by the Iran-backed Houthis in a week. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to assassinate Houthi leaders on Tuesday.
Till now, Israeli strikes in Yemen in July, September and December have targeted ports and other Houthi infrastructure. However, Israeli leaders have increased their focus on the Houthis since the start of a ceasefire with Hezbollah, the collapse of Syria’s pro-Iran government, and Iraq’s Shi’ite militias ceasing their attacks.
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.
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.
