ALWAGHT- According to Israeli military sources, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen struck central Israel after evading multiple interception attempts by the Iron Dome system. The missile caused fires near Route 1 highway and inflicted damage in the surrounding areas.
The missile struck near the Route 1 highway, southeast of Tel Aviv, close to the Gezer power plant.
Local media reported that several interception attempts by the Iron Dome were unsuccessful, with some interceptor missiles crashing and causing fires in different locations.
Online videos and photos showed smoke rising from scrubland near the highway, and one image revealed damage to an escalator at a train station in Modiin, located 25 kilometers east of Tel Aviv.
Israeli settlers were seen fleeing for cover, and at least five people were injured in the rush to safety.
Initially, the Israeli military stated that a surface-to-surface missile launched from the east triggered sirens in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas, impacting an open space with no reported injuries.
The Israeli military also admitted that the ballistic missile evaded multiple layers of air defense and was not detected by sirens until it reached central Israel, contrary to expectations that it would have been identified earlier.
Yemeni sources, in an interview with Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network, rejected the Israeli account, asserting that the Israeli version of the events regarding Yemeni military operations "cannot be trusted."