More than 2,365,000 people sought shelter Sunday morning as sirens unexpectedly sounded across central Israel, breaking a long period of relative calm in the region.
Video: The site of the impact following a missile strike on central Israel / Credit: Usage under Israeli intellectual property law section 27a
The alerts, triggered at 6:32 a.m., lasted about 90 seconds and covered several key areas including parts of the great Tel Aviv area, the Coastal Plain, the Yarkon region, the Judean Foothills, and parts of Samaria.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the detection of a surface-to-surface missile crossing into Israeli airspace from Yemen. Officials attributed the loud explosions heard by residents to interceptor missiles. The incoming projectile reportedly landed in an open area between Kfar Daniel and the Gezer power station. Remnants of an interceptor were later discovered near the Paatei Modi'in train station.
The incident resulted in minor injuries to five individuals who were hurt while hurrying to protected spaces. As of now, following consultations with the Home Front Command, authorities have not issued any new directives, and educational institutions are operating on their regular schedules. However, in the country's north, officials have raised alert levels, and students in northern regions will start their school day later than usual.
Video: Passengers taking cover as sirens blast at Ben-Gurion International Airport on September 15, 2024 / Yossi Zeliger
Sharing an image of the Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, a member of the terrorist group's political bureau in Yemen, Hizam al-Assad, wrote, "Whether you're in underground shelters or outside, you should listen carefully today, in the afternoon hours, to what this great leader, a speaker of truth and an honest actor, will say."
Luai Ahmed, a Yemeni exile and pro-Israeli, wrote on Sunday that "the Houthi terrorists are at it again – firing missiles towards Israel. Each missile costs more than a million dollars. Meanwhile, more than 10 million Yemeni children are starving to death. Only antisemitic terrorists do such things."
This missile marks the first such event over central Israel since August when a missile fell into the sea without triggering alerts. A month earlier, a drone launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen hit central Tel Aviv, resulting in one Israeli fatality and triggering an unprecedented strike by the Israeli Air Force on the strategic Yemeni port of Hodeidah. The sirens Sunday echoed through major population centers, including Or Yehuda, Yehud-Monosson, Kiryat Ono, Holon, Ramat Gan, Rishon LeZion, Rehovot, Lod, Ramla, Ness Ziona, Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Elad, and Shoham. The alert system was also activated in the Latrun area and select parts of Samaria. Central Israel has not had a siren for incoming projectile in months.
A senior Houthi official said over the weekend that "there will be surprises" in the coming days that Israel and the US would not be expecting. Since July, the Houthis have been threatening a response to the Israeli strike on the port of Hodeidah.
