Israel says missile from Yemen intercepted

The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early on Dec 28, a day after the Houthi-held capital Sanaa was hit by fresh air strikes.

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Sirens sounded in areas of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea on Dec 28 as "a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted... prior to crossing into Israeli territory", the Israeli military said.

The day before, a fresh air strike hit Sanaa, which Houthi rebels blamed on "US-British aggression" though it remains unclear who was behind it.

There was no comment from Israel, the US or Britain.

"I heard the blast. My house shook," one Sanaa resident told AFP late on Dec 27.

Since the eruption of war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis claiming solidarity with Palestinians have fired a series of missiles and drones at Israel.

They have stepped up their attacks since November's ceasefire between Israel and another Iran-backed group, Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel has also struck Yemen, including targeting Sanaa's international airport on Dec 26 in an attack that came as the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) was about to board a plane.

The Houthis have also attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea, prompting reprisal strikes by the US and sometimes Britain.

Earlier on Dec 27, before the strike on Sanaa, tens of thousands of people gathered to protest and express solidarity with Palestinians.