TEL AVIV — Sirens blared across Tel Aviv for the second time on Thursday in the city’s third missile attack this week.
A large swath of southern Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem were awakened at around 4 a.m. after ballistic missiles launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen were intercepted by Israeli forces.
The attack was apparently targeting Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
A second alarm sounded right before 1:30 p.m., with rockets from Gaza targeting Tel Aviv, again forcing residents to shelters.
These attacks come after a Houthi rocket attack targeting the central Negev near Be’er Shiva, near Gaza.
The military wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for Thursday afternoon’s attack, saying in a statement the rocket barrage was a direct response to Israel’s renewed strikes, which they described as “Zionist massacres against civilians.”
A statement from the IDF said three missiles were identified crossing into Israel from southern Gaza.
One was successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force nearA Rishon LeZion just south of Tel Aviv, while the others fell into uninhabited areas.
The overnight attack briefly disrupted air traffic at Ben Gurion.
An Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) statement stated the Houthi rockets were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.
The attacks come as the IDF renewed strikes on Gaza, ending the shaky ceasefire after Hamas refused to comply with its terms and facilitate the return of hostages.
Yesterday, two Hamas officials travelling in a vehicle were killed in a strike in Gaza on Wednesday.
Terrorist infrastructure and a surveillance post were also struck.
“The IDF and ISA (Israel Security Agency) are striking terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip and will continue to operate against terrorist organizations and remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel,” the statement read.
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