Sanaa (South24) 

The Israeli army announced on Monday that it had intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis from Yemen towards the Tel Aviv area.

The Israeli army said in a statement: "Following the warnings in central Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF before it crossed into Israeli territory."

"Sirens were sounded due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception," the statement added.

A circulating video showed the moment the missile, which is believed to be ballistic, was intercepted. Channel 12 reported that Ben Gurion Airport's activity was halted temporarily due to the missile.

#BREAKING

Circulating footage for the interception of a missile launched from #Yemen towards #Israel#south24 pic.twitter.com/n5vhBdjKbO

— South24 | English (@South24E) December 16, 2024

The emergency medical services in Israel announced that five people were injured while heading to shelters in Tel Aviv due to falling shrapnel from the Houthi missile.

Few minutes ago, Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement by their military spokesman Yahya Sarea. 

#معركة_الفتح_الموعود_والجهاد_المقدس pic.twitter.com/mDN3iAJ9Hq

— العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) December 16, 2024

Israeli Army Radio quoted a military source as saying that "there are Israeli preparations to launch strong strikes against the Houthis."

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said: "The only arm in the Iranian axis that did not feel our strength is the Houthis, and I suggest that everyone wait."

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Tel Aviv District Court agreed today to cancel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial sessions tomorrow "due to exceptional circumstances." 

This came at Netanyahu's request during his testimony today regarding the corruption charges.

This is the second incident since Monday morning, as the Israeli army announced earlier today the interception of a drone launched from Yemen.

It said in a statement: "A missile ship belonging to the Navy in the Mediterranean Sea intercepted a hostile drone launched from Yemen, where the interception operation was carried out before the drone penetrated Israeli airspace."

On July 19, the Houthis recorded the first deadly attack in Israel when they attacked Tel Aviv with a drone that killed an Israeli and injured others, according to the Israeli side.

In response to the attack, Israel launched airstrikes on the port of Houthi-controlled Hodeidah, causing the fuel tanks to go up in flames, killing six people and wounding around 80 others, according to the Houthis.

On September 29, Israel struck the port of Hodeidah again, and the nearby port of Ras al-Isa was also hit in response to Houthi missile attacks.