Missile fired from Yemen shot down after triggering sirens across central Israel

A ballistic missile launched from Yemen was successfully intercepted by Israeli air defenses after it triggered sirens across central Israel on Monday, the military said.

The surface-to-surface missile was shot down with the Arrow defense system, which is designed to take out ballistic missiles while they are still outside the atmosphere, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Sirens were triggered across central Israel due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception.

Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired two missiles at military targets in central Israel. The reason for the discrepancy in the number of missiles wasn’t immediately clear.

The rebel group has fired over 220 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones at Israel over the past year — mostly toward the southernmost city of Eilat — saying that the attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been battling Hamas since the terror group’s October 7 attack.

The latest attack came on the one-year anniversary of the terror onslaught.

On Thursday, the Iran-backed rebel group claimed responsibility for overnight drone attacks on central Israel. Two were shot down, while another impacted an open area, the IDF said.