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JERUSALEM (AP) — A missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels landed in an open space in central Israel early Sunday and triggered air raid sirens at its worldwide airport, within the newest reverberation from the nearly yearlong war in Gaza. Israel hinted that it will reply militarily.
There have been no stories of casualties or main harm, however Israeli media aired footage displaying individuals racing to shelters in Ben Gurion Worldwide Airport. The airport authority mentioned that it resumed regular operations shortly thereafter.
A hearth may very well be seen in a rural space of central Israel, and native media confirmed photographs of what gave the impression to be a fraction from an interceptor that landed on an escalator in a practice station within the central city of Modiin.
Israel’s military mentioned the surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by Israel’s protection system, which hit and fragmented the goal however didn’t destroy it. The navy mentioned the sound of explosions within the space got here from interceptors.
The Yemeni rebels, referred to as Houthis, have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel for the reason that begin of the conflict in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, however almost all of them have been intercepted over the Purple Sea.
In July, an Iranian-made drone launched by the Houthis struck Tel Aviv, killing one individual and wounding 10 others. Israel responded with a wave of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen, together with the port metropolis of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold.
Israel signifies it would reply to assault
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at an analogous response in remarks at a Cupboard assembly after Sunday’s assault.
“The Houthis ought to have recognized by now that we actual a heavy value for any try to hurt us,” he mentioned. “Anybody who wants a reminder is invited to go to the port of Hodeidah.”
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a navy spokesman for the rebels, mentioned they fired a ballistic missile focusing on “a navy goal” within the space of Tel Aviv.
The Houthis have additionally repeatedly attacked commercial shipping within the Purple Sea, in what the rebels painting as a blockade on Israel in assist of the Palestinians. Many of the focused ships haven’t any connection to Israel.
The conflict in Gaza, which started with Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault into southern Israel, has rippled throughout the area, with Iran and allied militant teams attacking Israeli and U.S. targets and drawing retaliatory strikes from Israel and its Western allies. On a number of events, the strikes and counterstrikes have threatened to trigger a wider conflict.
Iran helps militant teams throughout the area, together with Hamas, the Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, its strongest ally, which has traded hearth with Israel on a near-daily foundation for the reason that conflict in Gaza started. Iran and its allies say they’re performing in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel says ‘excessive likelihood’ its strike killed three hostages in Gaza
On Sunday, the Israeli navy mentioned there was a “excessive likelihood” that three hostages discovered lifeless months in the past have been killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The military introduced the conclusions of its investigation into the deaths of Cpl. Nik Beizer, Sgt. Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano. It mentioned investigations had decided that the three have been possible killed in a November airstrike that additionally killed a senior Hamas militant, Ahmed Ghandour.
All three of the hostages have been kidnapped in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault. Their our bodies have been recovered in December, however the reason for dying was solely not too long ago decided.
In its report, the military mentioned there was a “excessive likelihood” they have been killed within the strike, based mostly on the place the our bodies have been recovered, pathological stories and different intelligence. Nevertheless it mentioned, “it isn’t attainable to positively decide the circumstances of their deaths.”
The conclusions may add stress on the federal government to strike a deal to deliver residence the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Critics say it is too troublesome and harmful to attempt to rescue them. Late final month, Israel recovered the our bodies of six hostages that it says have been killed by Hamas captors shortly earlier than Israeli forces arrived.
The military’s announcement is the primary time it has linked the deaths of hostages to airstrikes. In different instances of our bodies being recovered, the military has mentioned individuals have been both killed on Oct. 7, died in Hamas captivity or have been killed by the militant group.
In December, the military acknowledged mistakenly killing three hostages who had escaped Hamas captivity in a battle-torn neighborhood of Gaza Metropolis. It was believed that the three had both fled their captors or been deserted.
Round 250 hostages have been taken on Oct. 7. Israel now believes 101 stay in captivity, together with 35 who’re considered lifeless. Greater than 100 have been freed throughout a cease-fire in November in change for the discharge of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Eight have been rescued by Israeli forces.
Additionally on Sunday, an Israeli border police officer was stabbed close to Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate and the attacker was shot and killed making an attempt to flee, mentioned the police. The stabbed officer wasn’t severely injured and was evacuated for therapy. Police secured the world and commenced an investigation.
Rockets fired from Lebanon
The navy mentioned that round 40 projectiles have been fired from Lebanon early Sunday, with most intercepted or falling in open areas.
In a separate incident, Israeli forces dropped leaflets over the Lebanese border city of al-Wazzani, calling on residents to evacuate. The navy later mentioned there have been no such evacuation orders, and {that a} native commander had acted with out the approval of his superiors. It mentioned the incident was underneath investigation.
It wasn’t instantly clear if any message had been conveyed to residents that the leaflets have been dropped in error. Ahmad al-Mohammed, the mayor of Al-Wazzani, mentioned a lot of the city’s remaining residents had not heeded the evacuation order.
The strikes alongside the Israel-Lebanon border have displaced tens of 1000’s of individuals on either side.
“This requires a change within the steadiness of energy on our northern border,” Netanyahu mentioned on the Cupboard assembly. “We’ll do all the pieces essential to return our residents safely to their houses.”
Gaza smuggling tunnels blocked
Hezbollah has mentioned it will halt its assaults if there’s a cease-fire in Gaza. The USA and Arab mediators Egypt and Qatar have spent a lot of this 12 months making an attempt to dealer a truce and the discharge of scores of hostages held by Hamas, however the talks have repeatedly slowed down.
In latest weeks, Netanyahu has insisted on lasting Israeli management over the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, which Israeli forces captured in Could. He has mentioned Hamas used a community of tunnels beneath the border to import arms, allegations denied by Egypt, which together with Hamas is against any lasting Israeli presence there.
An Israeli navy official mentioned late Saturday that of the handfuls of tunnels found alongside the border, solely 9 entered Egypt, and all have been discovered to have been sealed off. The official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate delicate intelligence, mentioned that it wasn’t clear when the tunnels have been sealed.
The invention appeared to weaken Netanyahu’s argument that Israel must maintain open-ended management of the hall to stop cross-border smuggling.
Egypt has mentioned it sealed off the tunnels on its facet of the border years in the past, partially by creating its personal navy buffer zone alongside the frontier.
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Natalie Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel. Related Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ali Sharafeddine in Beirut, Lebanon and Josef Federman and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.
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Discover extra of AP’s protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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