“interceptor or missile bursts” spark fires, Israel blames Yemen

Israeli firefighters attempt Monday morning to put out fires in the Bet Shemesh area west of Jerusalem, caused according to the army by the«interception» of a missile fired from Yemen. In this area about twenty kilometers southwest of Jerusalem, firefighters “are now trying to put out the fires”indicates a press release from the firefighters.

“In parallel with the extinguishing operations, the firefighters are carrying out additional reconnaissance in the area, in order to exclude further fires and damage caused by fragments of interceptors or missiles”according to a statement from the Jerusalem region firefighters. Questioned by AFP, an Israeli army spokesperson confirmed that the fires had been caused by “debris” resulting from «l’interception» of a missile coming from Yemen.

Four drone attacks from Iraq

Warning sirens sounded in the Bet Shemesh area shortly before 6 a.m. (4 a.m. GMT). According to a military statement, the Israeli Air Force “intercepted a projectile approaching Israel from Yemen”. “The projectile did not enter Israeli territory”adds the army. In Yemen, the Houthi rebels, who control large parts of the country, are part, along with other groups such as the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas or the Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah, of what the Islamic Republic of Iran calls the“axis of resistance” against Israel.

Since the start of the war sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Houthis have carried out several attacks against Israel as well as ships off the coast of Yemen, claiming to act in solidarity with the Palestinians. Furthermore, the “Islamic resistance in Iraq”a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, claimed four successive drone attacks, carried out early Monday against “essential targets” in the north and south of Israel.

The Israeli army, for its part, indicated that it had “managed to intercept four drones approaching Israel from the east” during the night from Sunday to Monday. “Two of them were intercepted before entering Israeli territory”specifies a military press release.