Netanyahu warns Yemen’s Houthis face ‘heavy price’ as missile lands in Central Israel

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Yemen’s Houthis will face a “heavy price” after the group fired a missile deep into Israel.

The projectile was fired from Yemen toward Israel at 6 a.m. local time, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who added that it “most likely fragmented in mid-air.” The missile landed in an open area in central Israel, with no injuries reported.

Videos and images shared by the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority on Telegram show large plumes of smoke billowing into the air over an open field and shattered glass inside a train station in Modi’in, a city between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

A spokesman for the Iran-backed Houthis confirmed the attack, claiming the group used a “new hypersonic ballistic missile” and warned that Israel should expect more such strikes as the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack approaches.

Despite months of tension, it is rare for a missile to penetrate as far as central Israel, which is normally safe for civilians.

“We are in a multi-arena campaign against Iran’s evil axis that strives to destroy us,” Netanyahu said ahead of a cabinet meeting.

“They should know by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” he added, referencing the Israeli attack on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah in July, which followed a deadly drone strike on Tel Aviv.

Israeli police stated they were working with the bomb squad in the Shfela area, also known as the Judean Foothills, where an interceptor fragment had fallen. Authorities are now securing the impact site and scanning for additional fragments, police said.

Sirens rang across central and northern Israel, according to the military, and were also heard at Tel Aviv airport, a spokesperson for the airport told CNN. Videos on social media showed passengers running to find shelter.

Also on Sunday morning, approximately 40 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel’s northern region. Some were intercepted, while others fell in open areas, the IDF reported. No injuries were reported, and authorities are addressing fires caused by the fallen projectiles.

Hezbollah has been firing almost daily barrages of rockets and drones into Israel. “The current situation cannot continue,” Netanyahu said, adding that a “change in the balance of power” is needed at the northern border to ensure residents can return home.

The IDF has opened an investigation following reports that leaflets were dropped in southern Lebanon warning civilians to leave.

The leaflets, written in Arabic and found in the Wazzani area, a village within a few kilometers of the Israeli border, warned residents that Hezbollah was firing from their area and urged them not to return until the war ends.

The IDF said in a statement on Sunday that the distribution of leaflets was “an independent initiative of the 769th Brigade in the Northern Command” and was not approved by the IDF’s high command.

Fears of Escalation

Tensions between Israel, Yemen, and Lebanon have been escalating for months as Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza, following the militant group’s October 7 attacks. World leaders have warned of the potential for a wider Middle East conflict.

Since the war began, the Iran-backed Houthi group, which controls Yemen’s most populous regions, has regularly targeted Israel with drones and missiles. Most of these have been intercepted by Israel’s defenses or those of its allies.

The group has also targeted shipping in the Red Sea in protest against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Most notably, in July, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial center – the first time the city had been struck by a Houthi drone.

Israel retaliated the next day with deadly airstrikes on a Yemeni port – the first such strike on Yemen, according to Israeli officials.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon has also launched attacks on northern Israel, sending rockets and drones on Saturday targeting Israeli military sites.

These direct attacks on each other’s territory have raised concerns about a new front opening in the ongoing conflict, which already threatens to spread across the region.

Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attacks, which killed over 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

Since then, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military operations in Gaza, according to the enclave’s health ministry. The health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians but claims most of the dead are women and children.

Credit: CNN