Israel intercepts missile fired from Yemen

The Israeli army said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Thursday evening after air raid sirens sounded in the centre of the country and explosions were heard over Jerusalem.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted," said an army statement.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed they fired a "hypersonic ballistic missile" at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv.

"The operation successfully achieved its goal... forcing millions of occupying Zionists (Israelis) to flee to shelters and halting air traffic at the airport," they said in a statement.

The attempted attack comes two days after Israel said it intercepted a missile and another projectile fired from Yemen, which Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had fired.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023 following the Hamas attack on Israel.

The Yemeni rebels, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, paused their attacks during a two-month Gaza ceasefire that ended in March, but began again after Israel resumed its military campaign in the territory.