Israeli army intercepts missile launched from Yemen

Jerusalem, May 27 (IANS) The Israeli military said that it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel after warning sirens were activated in some areas in the West Bank.

No injuries or damage have been reported, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on Sunday, Israel's aerial defence systems intercepted a missile launched by Houthi forces in Yemen, the Israeli military said in a statement.

The missile triggered air raid sirens in Jerusalem, the Dead Sea area and settlements in the occupied West Bank, sending millions to shelters around midday.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service reported no casualties.

Despite pledging to halt attacks on US vessels, the Houthi forces in Yemen continue to target Israel, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

In response, Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes in Yemen, including one earlier this month in the capital Sanaa, which caused multiple fatalities and damaged the main international airport.

Yemen's Houthis also on Sunday announced that the group had launched a hypersonic ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel, which was reportedly intercepted by Israeli defence systems earlier in the day.

"The rocket forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport, using a hypersonic ballistic missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement broadcast by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Sarea said the group would "continue enforcing a ban on air traffic to and from Ben Gurion Airport," referring to repeated Houthi attacks that have prompted several airlines to delay or reroute flights to avoid rocket strikes targeting Israel.

He noted that the Houthis would escalate their military operations further unless Israel halts its assault on the Gaza Strip and lifts the blockade.

The Israeli defence forces wrote on the social media platform X that sirens had sounded across Israel following a "projectile" fired from Yemen.

Israeli army radio later confirmed that the projectile had been intercepted. No casualties or damage were reported.

Since November 2023, the Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been targeting Israel and Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

--IANS

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