Houthi missile hits open area in central Israel

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired a missile from Yemen that appeared to hit an open area of central Israel, and Israel signaled it would respond to the attack, The Associated Press reported, citing Israeli media.

There were no reports of casualties or injuries, but local media showed footage of people racing to shelters at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Operations soon returned to normal, according to the airport authority.

Local media also showed footage of a fire in a rural area of central Israel and reported images of what they said appeared to be parts of an interceptor that landed on a train station escalator in the town of Modi’in.

The Yemen-based rebels have repeatedly fired drones and missiles toward central Israel in recent months, and, in July, a drone struck an apartment building in Tel Aviv, near the US Embassy. The attack killed one person and injured 10 more.

Most missiles have been intercepted by the Israeli military over the Red Sea before they are able to hit Israel. Over the weekend, the Israeli military said it tried intercepting the missile using its multitiered air defenses but was not sure if any of those attempts had been successful.

The Israeli military said the missile appeared to fragment in the air and that the sound of explosions in the area came from interceptors. It said the incident was under review.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the Israeli military would respond to the Houthi attack.

“The Houthis should have known by now that we are charging a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” Netanyahu wrote on the social platform X on Sunday, according to a Google Translation of the Hebrew. “Those who need a reminder - welcome to visit Hodeida port.”

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile targeting “a military target” in Jaffa, which is part of Tel Aviv, the AP reported.

Hashim Sharaf al-Din, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run government, said Yemenis will celebrate the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad while “the Israelis will have to be in shelters,” according to the AP.

The Associated Press contributed.