At before 6.30 a.m. local time on Sunday, air raid sirens were heard throughout the country’s central regions, including at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. Witnesses reported seeing people running to shelters.
There were also loud booms, which the Israeli military said were caused by missile interceptors attempting to bring it down.
Parts of the missile fell in an uninhabited “open area” in Kfar Daniel, around 4 miles (7 km) from Ben Gurion Airport, according to Israeli officials, who also stated that no injuries had been reported.
Some pieces fell onto an escalator in a railroad station in it.
According to the Israeli military, the missile “most likely fragmented in mid-air”.
A spokesman for the Houthis, who govern a sizable portion of Yemen, acknowledged accountability and forewarned Israel that “more strikes and specific operations to come” were likely.
The event on Sunday is thought to be the first instance of an Israeli-targeted surface-to-surface missile arriving in Yemen.
A “new hypersonic ballistic missile” that “the enemy’s defence systems failed to intercept and confront” was the weapon deployed, according to Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer.
