For the ninth time this month, Yemen’s Houthis launched a missile or drone toward Israel, causing significant damage. Forty-nine hours after a ballistic missile hit Ramat Ef’al after being partially intercepted, attempts to intercept another ground-to-ground missile fired from Yemen failed Saturday overnight, resulting in a hit near a playground in Jaffa.
Sixteen people received minor injuries, 21 were hurt on their way to shelters or suffered anxiety and the damage to nearby buildings was extensive. This took place despite the third Israeli Air Force strike in Yemen since the war began — and the first in the Houthis’ stronghold of Sanaa.
Footage of Houthi missile strike in Jaffa
(Video: Magen David Adom. Fire and Rescue Authority)
Footage showed severe damage to apartments in nearby buildings, with debris scattered in a child’s bedroom and on a child’s bed.
“The siren started, but we didn’t make it to the shelter. There was a very loud explosion, all the windows shattered, the blinds broke and the bed was covered in glass. Everything’s ruined, everything’s broken,” said Dolly Tamar Eliyahu and Ben Nof, residents of one of the damaged buildings.
Ezra Bador, another resident of the building, said: “Just as I was heading to the shelter, there was a serious explosion resulting in broken blinds and windows. It’s terrifying. My balcony and bedroom sustained heavy damage. One of the windows completely fell out.”
Karin Goldschmidt and Eden Tsesleski, who live in a neighboring building, recounted, “We ran to the staircase on the third floor but didn’t make it to the shelter. It felt like the explosion was right above us — the whole building shook.
“After the explosion, we moved on to the shelter, waited for about 15 minutes, then came out to see the damage. The apartment was hit; all the glass is shattered.”
Hadra Abu-Hatzeira, who lives near the impact site, said, “The explosion happened before the siren sounded, so I didn’t make it to the shelter. The house shook and the windows shattered. It was frightening and shocking.
“My kids wanted to take me somewhere else but I refused — I’m staying here. My medication’s at home, I’m ill, and I won’t leave. The siren nearly made me faint; I have epilepsy. I’m terrified, but for now, I’m staying in the neighborhood.”
Meir Ohana, a resident of a nearby building, recounted, “I woke up to check on my cat and just then, there was a serious explosion. If I hadn’t gotten up, the glass would’ve shattered over my bed. We didn’t hear the siren — it was very faint.” He added that all residents of the building were evacuated following the strike.
A paramedic from Magen David Adom’s (MDA) motorcycle unit, Yosef Kurdi, recounted: “I was at home when I heard a loud explosion. I immediately went to the scene and saw extensive blast damage to the nearby buildings. Large MDA teams arrived quickly and we began scanning the buildings as the injured started coming out of their homes.”
MDA paramedic Noam Weisbuch and senior paramedic Noa Shimoni added, “The scene was complex because the blast damage affected apartments in the surrounding buildings. Initially, we treated several people with minor injuries from shattered glass and anxiety.”
“We searched the apartments, treated and evacuated 16 people who sustained minor injuries, including a 3-year-old girl and provided care to those suffering from anxiety,” they added.
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The missile strike comes just two days after another Yemen-launched missile targeted Israel, marking an escalation following the IDF's strikes in the Houthi stronghold of Sanaa earlier this week.
The IDF later confirmed that one missile was launched from Yemen. Attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful, and it fell within central Israel. "The situation is under review," the IDF said. Military sources later confirmed that the projectile was a surface-to-surface ballistic missile.