Yemen rebels claim ballistic missile attack on Israel

Yemen's Huthi rebels said Wednesday that they had fired a ballistic missile at central Israel, with Israeli forces saying they intercepted the attack.

The missile was aimed at the Tel Aviv area, the Iran-backed Huthis said.

The Israelis reported it was shot down before it entered Israeli territory. The Huthis have repeatedly launched missiles at Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago.

Most have been intercepted, but on Saturday an attack that hit Tel Aviv wounded 16 people, prompting a warning from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army also said it had intercepted a projectile fired from Yemen. In July, a Huthi drone attack on Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

The Huthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes by US and sometimes British forces.