- SANAA/JERUSALEM — Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday claimed responsibility for
the "missile and drone attacks" on "vital targets" in
Israel's cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, which reportedly triggered sirens across
northwestern Israel earlier in the day.
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- It is the first time the Houthis have targeted Haifa, in
far northwestern Israel.
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- "We launched a hypersonic ballistic missile on
Haifa, targeting a vital target," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea
said in a televised statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
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- "The hypersonic missile hit the target in Haifa as
the enemy (Israeli) defence systems failed to intercept it," he said.
Read: 12 killed, 30 injured in US airstrikes on market in Yemen's capital — Houthis
- For another military operation, Sarea said it was carried
out against a "vital target" in Tel Aviv, using a bomb-laden drone.
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- "We will continue our military operations until the
Israeli aggression on the Palestinian Gaza Strip stops and the blockade on it
is lifted," the Houthi military spokesperson added.
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- Earlier in the day, Israel Defence Forces said in a post
on social media platform X that sirens were sounded in the city of Haifa, the
nearby Krayot region, and the Western Galilee, Xinhua news agency reported.
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- The Israeli military said, "An interceptor was
launched toward the missile, and the missile was most likely successfully
intercepted."
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- However, video footage posted on social media by Israeli
residents, as well as live coverage by international television channels,
showed that the Houthi missile struck the Israeli city, causing a huge
explosion and fire.
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- Magen David Adom, Israel's national ambulance service,
said no injuries were reported.
