UPDATE - Israeli army says it intercepted missile from Yemen

ADDS HOUTHI STATEMENT

By Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army said Thursday that it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen by the Houthi group.

In a statement, it said the Air Force “intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel.”

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that sirens sounded in several central areas of Israel, including Tel Aviv and its surroundings, after a missile launch was detected from Yemen.

An Anadolu correspondent reported that sirens also sounded in Jerusalem following the Israeli army’s announcement of a missile launch from Yemen.

Takeoffs and landings at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv were suspended temporarily, according to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

No details were provided about injuries or damage.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthi group, announced the “successful” targeting of Ben Gurion Airport with a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile.

He affirmed that "Yemen -- its people, leadership and army -- stands firmly with the Palestinians until the Israeli aggression stops and the siege is lifted."

The Houthis have intensified missile and drone strikes on Israel since the Israeli military resumed attacks on Gaza in March after two months of a shaky ceasefire.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have also targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 54,600 people have been killed in an Israeli offensive.