TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military says a rocket fired from Yemen struck part of Tel Aviv overnight, lightly injuring 16 people as glass shattered from nearby windows.
Another 14 people suffered minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before the projectile hit at 4 a.m. Saturday, the army said.
The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held capital Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi attack in which a long-range missile hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike on Thursday targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel.
The Israeli military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 rockets and drones during the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The Houthis have also attacked shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – the attacks they say will not stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
Thursday’s Israeli strikes caused “significant damage” to Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports “which will lead to an immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Hodeida’s port has been crucial for food shipments to Yemen during the decade-long civil war.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the attacks by both sides risk further escalation in the region and undermine U.N. mediation efforts.
