Israel's army said Friday it intercepted two missiles fired towards its territory from Yemen within 12 hours, with at least one attack claimed by the Arabian Peninsula country's Huthi rebels.
An explosion was heard over Jerusalem as the military said it was intercepting the second projectile.
"The (Israeli army) has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory; aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat," the military said about the second attack.
Israeli police reported a "rocket siren" was activated in northern and coastal districts and said they were searching for possible projectile or debris impact sites.
The military said the first missile had been shot down before it entered Israeli airspace.
The Huthis, who control large parts of Yemen, claimed responsibility for the first attack, saying they targeted an air base "east of the occupied area of Haifa" with a "hypersonic ballistic missile".
The group has launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 assault.
They are part of Iran's "axis of resistance" against Israel and the United States, presenting themselves as defenders of Palestinians in Gaza.
Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group's "support operations will continue until the aggression against Gaza ceases and the siege is lifted".
The Huthis have also repeatedly targeted merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, drawing retaliatory strikes by Israel, the United States, and Britain.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the United States has intensified its bombing campaign against Huthis, with almost daily strikes for more than a month.
Huthi media said this week that US strikes on the movement's stronghold of Saada killed at least 68 people -- all Africans being held at a center for "illegal migrants".
The United States said in April its strikes since March 15 had hit more than 1,000 targets in Yemen and killed "hundreds of Huthi fighters".
On Friday, the Huthi-run Saba news agency said three people were wounded in a US air strike the previous night in Al Wahda district, citing a preliminary toll.
With AFP
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