The Yemeni Houthi rebels, who control northern Yemen and are supported by Iran, today fired a surface-to-surface missile, which reached central Israel for the first time, hitting an uninhabited area, and there were no injuries, Reuters reports.
Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel moments before the missile landed around 6:35 a.m. local time, sending residents scrambling for shelter.
There were loud booms, which the military said came from missile interceptors.
"Following the recent sirens that went off in central Israel, a surface-to-surface missile was identified that crossed into central Israel from the east and landed in an open area. There were no reports of injuries," the Israeli military said.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters, citing a statement from their military spokesman: "More than two million Zionists were forced to flee to shelters, for the first time in the history of the enemy."
The deputy head of the Houthi media office, Nasrudin Amer, said in a post on the Iks social network that the Yemeni rocket had reached Israel after "20 missiles failed to intercept it," describing it as "the beginning."
Reuters reported that smoke was seen billowing in an open field in central Israel, although it was not immediately clear whether the fire was caused by a missile or debris from an interceptor.
Radio Free Europe (RSE) previously reported a statement from the Israeli army stating that a long-range rocket fired in Yemen fell on September 15 in central Israel.
RSE also stated that the Israeli media published a video of passengers fleeing to the shelter at Ben Gurion Airport.
The media also reported that the AP agency reports that images of what appears to be a fragment of a missile or interceptor, which fell on the escalators at the train station in the city of Modiin in central Israel, were published.
Reuters reports that with today's attack, the Houthis appear to have penetrated deep into Israeli airspace for the first time.
They have fired several shots at Israel since the Gaza war broke out last October in what they described as solidarity with the Palestinians. Most such missiles have been shot down, although one hit an open area near Israel's Red Sea port of Eilat in March.
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