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Magen David Adom paramedics treated at least 14 people hurt mainly by shards of glass created by the impact.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the missile hit following “unsuccessful interception attempts.”
The military was probing the circumstances of the attack.
מכתש בגן שעשועים: זירת הנפילה במרכז. pic.twitter.com/kn4gZmWaf2
— אור רביד | Or Ravid (@OrRavid) December 21, 2024
The Israeli Air Force struck terror targets in Yemen in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, after a Houthi missile hit an elementary school in Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv.
The Israeli strikes against the Houthis were carried out in two waves by 14 fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes, which were already en route to Yemen when the ballistic missile was fired at around 2:35 a.m. on Thursday.
The first strikes occurred at 3:15 a.m., targeting the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea as well as the Hodeidah and Salif ports. Eight tugboats, used for guiding ships into the ports, were also destroyed. At 4:30 a.m., the second wave targeted the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, hitting two power stations, the Haziz and D’Habban, according to reports.
“Over the past year, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating with the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias, in order to attack the State of Israel and Israeli civilians,” the IDF stated following the strikes.
The Houthis have reportedly hit Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile.
Let’s be clear: This is an act of WAR, and it demands an IMMEDIATE and UNRELENTING RESPONSE.
To our so-called “international community” – where’s your condemnation? Where’s your outrage? Or is it only when… pic.twitter.com/OZQj3AR2KZ
— Jews Fight Back 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JewsFightBack) December 21, 2024
“The conducted strikes degrade the Houthi terrorist regime, preventing it from exploiting the targets for military and terrorist purposes, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons to the region,” the statement continued. “The IDF is determined to continue operating against all threats posed to the citizens of the State of Israel, wherever necessary.”
On Monday, a Houthi missile triggered air-raid sirens in the greater Tel Aviv area. Earlier, an Israeli Navy ship intercepted a Houthi drone over the Red Sea before it crossed into Israeli territory.
On Dec. 9, a Houthi drone hit a residential high-rise building in the central Israeli city of Yavne, northeast of Ashdod. On Dec. 1, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen triggered sirens in the Judean foothills.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched over 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel in support of Hamas since the Gaza-based terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in the northwestern Negev.
In July, a Houthi drone killed a civilian in central Tel Aviv. In response, Israel struck Yemen’s Hodeidah Port.
On Sept. 29, the Israeli Air Force carried out dozens of strikes in the area of Hodeidah. The targets included “power plants and a seaport, which were used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil,” the IDF said.
