SANAA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a fresh "ballistic missile attack" on central Tel Aviv, which reportedly resulted in casualties among Israelis.
"In support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and in response to the latest Israeli aggression on Yemen, we targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied Jaffa area (Tel Aviv) with a hypersonic ballistic missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement, aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
"The missile hit the target accurately after the Israeli defense systems failed to intercept it," he said.
"We salute the Mujahideen (Hamas fighters) in the Gaza Strip and their ongoing heroic operations against the Israeli enemy and confirm that we will continue to support you until the (Israeli) aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted," the Houthi military spokesperson added.
Hours earlier, the Israeli media reported that at least 14 people were injured in the Houthi missile attack.
"Sirens sounding across central Israel due to a missile fired from Yemen," the Israel Defense Forces said on X, formerly Twitter, in the early hours on Saturday.
The Houthi missile attack on Tel Aviv came two days after the Israeli airstrikes bombed power stations and fuel storage facilities in Houthi-held areas in northern Yemen, killing nine Yemenis.
The Houthi group has been controlling much of northern Yemen since late 2014, forcing the internationally recognized Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.
Since November 2023, the Houthi group has been carrying out rocket and drone attacks against Israeli cities and "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea, to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ■
