JERUSALEM (AP) — A missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels landed in an open area in central Israel early Sunday and triggered air raid sirens at its international airport, in the latest reverberation from the nearly yearlong war in Gaza. Israel hinted that it would respond militarily. There were no reports of casualties or major damage, but Israeli media aired footage showing people racing to shelters in Ben Gurion International Airport. The airport authority said it resumed normal operations shortly thereafter. A fire could be seen in a rural area of central Israel, and local media showed images of what appeared to be a fragment from an interceptor that landed on an escalator in a train station in the central town of Modiin.
The Israeli military has not yet released any information about the type of missile that was fired. The incident occurred in the Gaza Strip, a densely populated area with a history of conflict. The Israeli military has been conducting airstrikes in the Gaza Strip for several weeks, targeting Hamas and other militant groups. The incident is being investigated by the Israeli military, and the results of the interception attempt will be released once the investigation is complete.
Israel indicates it will respond to attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at a similar response in remarks at a Cabinet meeting after Sunday’s attack. “The Houthis should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” he said. “Anyone who needs a reminder is invited to visit the port of Hodeidah.” Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the rebels, said they fired a ballistic missile targeting “a military target” in the area of Tel Aviv. Hashim Sharaf al-Din, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run government, said Yemenis will celebrate the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad while “the Israelis will have to be in shelters.” Another senior Houthi official, Hezam al-Asad, posted a taunting message in Hebrew on the social media platform X.
The Houthis have also repeatedly attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea, in what the rebels portray as a blockade on Israel in support of the Palestinians. Most of the targeted ships have no connection to Israel. The war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel, has rippled across the region, with Iran and allied militant groups attacking Israeli and U.S. targets and drawing retaliatory strikes from Israel and its Western allies. On several occasions, the strikes and counterstrikes have threatened to trigger a wider conflict. International carriers have canceled flights into and out of Israel on a number of occasions since the start of the war, adding to the war’s economic toll on the country.
Iran supports militant groups across the region, including Hamas, the Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, its most powerful ally, which has traded fire with Israel on a near-daily basis since the war in Gaza began. Iran and its allies say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians. Rockets fired from Lebanon The military said around 40 projectiles were 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 town of al-Wazzani calling on residents to evacuate. The military later said there were no such evacuation orders, and that a local commander had acted without the approval of his superiors. It said the incident was under investigation.
The leaflets, which were printed in a variety of languages, were dropped from a plane. The leaflets contained information about the local government, the local economy, and the local culture. The leaflets were dropped in error, and the residents were left to deal with the unexpected arrival of the leaflets.
Gaza smuggling tunnels blocked Hezbollah has said it would halt its attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. The United States and Arab mediators Egypt and Qatar have spent much of this year trying to broker a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas, but the talks have repeatedly bogged down. In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on lasting Israeli control over the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, which Israeli forces captured in May. He has said Hamas used a network of tunnels beneath the border to import arms, allegations denied by Egypt, which along with Hamas is opposed to any lasting Israeli presence there.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the tunnels were discovered during a routine patrol by Israeli soldiers. The tunnels were found to be mostly used for smuggling goods, with some being used for illegal immigration. The official also stated that the tunnels were discovered in the Sinai Peninsula, a region bordering Egypt and Israel. **Key Points:**
* **Number of Tunnels:** Dozens of tunnels were discovered along the border.
___ Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report. ___ Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war (Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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