Houthi rebels claim to have hit an Israeli military base with a ballistic missile in the wake of US strikes against its strongholds.
The Iran-backed militia announced a “hypersonic ballistic missile”, known as the Palestine 2, was used in the strike on the Nahal Sorek military base in central Israel, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
“The hit was accurate, and led to a fire ignition in the vicinity of the targeted site,” they added.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace.
Firefighters were battling blazes in west Jerusalem that the military said was sparked by debris from the intercepted missile.
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Credit: X/ @Bashareport
It marked the second missile attack claimed by the Houthis in recent days after the group claimed to have targeted Nevatim air base in southern Israel on Nov 8 with a ballistic missile. Israel said the projectile was successfully intercepted.
It follows US air strikes over the weekend on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the capital, Sana’a.
Houthi media claimed the UK was also involved in the attacks, but there has been no official confirmation.
The Pentagon told the AFP news agency that advanced weapons storage facilities had been targeted in the raids.
The joint strikes, which started in January, are part of an ongoing effort to quash the group which since November has launched a blockade on global shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis say the attacks are in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both Iranian terror proxies. Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on Oct 8, in solidarity with Hamas, sparking a wider conflict around Israel’s borders.
Since November, dozens of international seamen have been taken hostage, ships sunk and taken captive, and four men killed as the Houthis try to force a ceasefire in Gaza and the war sparked by Hamas’s Oct 7 massacre.
The Houthis have launched multiple direct attacks against Israel, including one in July which narrowly missed the US embassy on the Tel Aviv beachfront, hitting a nearby residential building, killing one.
