Israel Intercepts Ballistic Missile Fired from Yemen as Regional Tensions Soar

Israeli air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen early Friday morning, the military said, triggering sirens across Tel Aviv and central Israel. The missile was intercepted outside Israeli borders by the Arrow air defense system due to concerns about falling shrapnel, which led to warning alerts. There were no direct impacts reported from the shrapnel, but a 17-year-old girl was moderately injured by a car pulling over amid the attack, and another 17 people were lightly hurt, primarily due to falls and anxiety.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though Yemen’s Houthi rebels hinted at a forthcoming announcement. The attack was possibly linked to an Israeli airstrike on Thursday that killed senior Hezbollah leader Mohammed Srur in Beirut. Srur was Hezbollah’s drone commander and attaché to Yemen, involved in training the Houthis’ aerial forces.

This incident follows Hezbollah’s first-ever surface-to-surface missile strike near Tel Aviv and a year of escalating hostilities, with Yemen’s Houthis launching over 220 ballistic and cruise missiles toward Israel in solidarity with Gaza.