Houthi militants from Yemen launched a ballistic missile attack on Tel Aviv and surrounding areas, while Hezbollah resumed rocket fire on Tiberias and Haifa several hours later on Friday morning.
Shortly after midnight, alarm sirens sounded across much of central Israel, coinciding with the IDF’s Arrow defense system intercepting the missile from Yemen.
Video footage captured in Jerusalem showed the missile in the sky above crowds gathered for Selichot prayers at the Western Wall, although no sirens were activated at that time. Both the missile and the Arrow interceptor were visible to those present.
The IDF clarified that the alarms and explosions heard were a result of the interception and debris from the missile. They noted that there were no changes to the directives from the Home Front Command.
Reports from Army Radio indicated that the interception occurred outside the atmosphere, scattering missile fragments over a wide area, which contributed to the activation of sirens in cities including Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Petah Tikva.
While there were no direct injuries from the missile attack, Magen David Adom reported that a 17-year-old girl suffered moderate injuries after being hit by a car that swerved to the side of the road during the alarms. Additionally, 17 people received treatment for minor injuries or anxiety-related issues.
In a statement, the Houthis claimed their attack was in retaliation for the killing of Muhammad Hussein Sarour, Hezbollah’s envoy to Yemen, who was reportedly involved in training the Houthis to use Iranian-made drones.
A few hours later, Hezbollah launched three rocket barrages at Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee area, followed by another barrage targeting Haifa and its surroundings. In Tiberias, a man was moderately wounded by shrapnel and transported to a hospital, while two others were injured while seeking shelter.
Tiberias Mayor Yossi Neva reported that the city experienced two alarms and multiple impacts, urging residents to follow the Home Front Command’s instructions and limit movement in the streets.
Witnessing the chaos, Mia Merlanjon-Aharoni, who was kayaking in the Sea of Galilee, described seeing rockets fall into the water amid alarms and loud explosions.
In Haifa, around 10 rockets triggered alarms in the city center and suburbs, causing damage to two buildings and a vehicle. Reports indicated at least one rocket landed in the sea.
In response, the IDF announced it had targeted the Hezbollah launchers responsible for the attack from southern Lebanon. They also reported intercepting four drones off the coast of Rosh Hanikra in the Western Galilee.