Sanaa (South24)

Tel Aviv witnessed a missile attack launched by the Iran-backed Houthi group from Yemen at dawn on Saturday, with a ballistic missile hitting the Jaffa area south of the city.

The attack resulted in 30 people being slightly injured and caused extensive material damage, according to the Israeli emergency services.

The Israeli army acknowledged that the missile, which the Houthis called "Palestine 2", bypassed Israeli air defense systems such as the "Iron Dome", "David's Sling" and the "Arrow or Hetz" system.

According to Israeli media, sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv area and surrounding areas at 3:40 a.m. local time, causing panic among residents.

People gather at the scene of a missile strike launched from Yemen that landed in Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, on December 21, 2024 [Stoyan Nenov/Reuters].

The Israeli emergency services reported that 16 people were injured by glass fragments from the explosion, while 14 others suffered panic attacks while trying to take cover. The explosion created a large crater in a public park and caused extensive damage to several buildings in the vicinity of the impact area.

In a statement broadcast by Houthi-affiliate Al-Masirah TV, Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the Palestine 2 missile targeted a “sensitive military target” in the Jaffa area, describing the operation as a “direct response to the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza and Yemen.”

بين القوات المسلحة اليمنية بشأن تنفيذ عملية عسكرية استهدفت هدفا عسكريا للعدو الإسرائيلي في منطقة يافا المحتلة بصاروخ باليستي فرط صوتي فلسطين2. pic.twitter.com/VgAMOFMhhh

— العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) December 21, 2024

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the attack revealed serious gaps in the Israeli defense systems, as the missile appears to have used an advanced maneuvering system in its final phase, confusing Israeli radars.

The newspaper added that the Israeli army has launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of the failure of the air defenses.

Haaretz quoted military experts as describing the attack as a “dangerous development” that reflects a new strategy by the Houthis.

The attack comes in the wake of a series of Israeli strikes targeting ports and energy facilities in Houthi-controlled areas on Thursday, in response to their ongoing attacks in the Red Sea and on Israeli targets.

The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that there is growing fear within the Israeli security establishment that these attacks are the beginning of a new phase of the conflict, including a broader targeting of the Israeli interior using advanced weapons.

Since the beginning of the war, the Houthis have carried out a series of missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets, but they were often intercepted before reaching their targets.

The latest attack is among only a few attacks that penetrated Israeli air defenses and hit a populated area.