A rocket launched from Yemen struck an area in Tel Aviv overnight, causing minor injuries to 16 individuals due to shattered glass from nearby windows, the Israeli military reported.
Additionally, 14 more people sustained slight injuries while rushing to shelters after air raid sirens went off just before 4 a.m. Saturday, according to the military.
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The incident occurred less than 48 hours after Israeli airstrikes targeted Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, and the port city of Hodeida. These strikes, which killed at least nine people, were in retaliation for a Houthi missile attack that hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed responsibility for a drone strike aimed at an undisclosed military site in central Israel on Thursday.
The Israeli military stated that the Iran-backed Houthis have fired over 200 missiles and drones during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The Houthis have also targeted shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, asserting that such attacks will continue until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
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United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric noted that Thursday’s Israeli airstrikes inflicted “significant damage” on Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports, which could substantially impact port capacity. The port in Hodeida is crucial for food shipments to Yemen, a country plagued by a decade-long civil war.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the escalating attacks from both sides could further destabilize the region and jeopardize U.N. mediation efforts.