Tel Aviv: A surface-to-surface missile fired at central Israel from Yemen hit an unpopulated area, causing no injuries, Israel's military said on Sunday. Moments earlier, air raid sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel, sending residents running for shelter.
"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, a surface-to-surface missile was identified crossing into central Israel from the east and fell in an open area. No injuries were reported," the military said.
Loud booms were also heard in the region, which the military said came from missile interceptors that had been launched. It added that its protective guidelines for Israel's residents were unchanged.
In July, Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen fired a long-range drone at Tel Aviv, killing one man and wounding four others. The attack prompted Israel to carry out a major air strike on Houthi military targets near Yemen's Hodeidah port, killing at least three people and wounding 87.
The Houthis have also repeatedly attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea, in what the rebels portray as a blockade on Israel in support of the Palestinians. Most of the targeted ships have no connection to Israel.
The war in Gaza, which began with Hamas' October 7 attack into southern Israel, has rippled across the region, with Iran and allied militant groups attacking Israeli and US targets and drawing retaliatory strikes from Israel and its Western allies. On several occasions, the strikes and counterstrikes have threatened to trigger a wider conflict. International carriers have cancelled flights into and out of Israel on a number of occasions since the start of the war, adding to the war's economic toll on the country.
Iran's role
Iran supports militant groups across the region, including Hamas, the Houthis and Lebanon's Hezbollah, its most powerful ally, which has traded fires with Israel on a near-daily basis since the war in Gaza began. Iran and its allies say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians. The military said around 40 projectiles were fired from Lebanon early Sunday, with most intercepted or falling in open areas.
The strikes along the Israel-Lebanon border have displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides. Israel has repeatedly threatened to launch a wider military operation against Hezbollah to ensure its citizens can return to their homes. Hezbollah has said it would halt its attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. The United States and Arab mediators Egypt and Qatar have spent much of this year trying to broker a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas, but the talks have repeatedly bogged down.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on lasting Israeli control over the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, which Israeli forces captured in May. He has said Hamas used a network of tunnels beneath the border to import arms, allegations denied by Egypt, which along with Hamas is opposed to any lasting Israeli presence there.
(With inputs from agencies)
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