After interception of ballistic missile from Yemen, huge fragment lands on house near Jerusalem

Alarm sirens rang out across central Israel early Tuesday morning, after a ballistic missile was launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen. 

The IDF announced that attempts were made to intercept the missile, but a clear interception was not initially confirmed. 

“Following the sirens that sounded in a number of areas in central Israel, several attempts were made to intercept a missile that was launched from Yemen. The missile was likely intercepted,” the statement from the IDF Spokesperson’s office said.

“No injuries or damage have been reported. The incident has concluded.” 

Later in the morning, it became apparent that not only had the missile been intercepted, but a huge fragment from the missile fell on a house in Mevo Beitar, while smaller fragments fell in other places in Mevo Beitar and Tzur Hadassah. 

Michal Weksler, a resident of the town of Mevo Beitar, was one of the residents who woke up because of the sirens and ran to the bomb shelter within the house. Only later in the morning did she realize that a large segment of the ballistic missile had fallen on the roof of the house. 

Speaking to Ynet news, she said, “We are fine. We went out for a walk in the morning as usual and saw tile fragments. It was only when we raised our heads that we saw a missile on the roof of the house.” 

The owner of the house, Zvika, told Ynet, “What happened was that the missile fell, part of the missile fell on the roof, broke the tiled roof and sat on the ceiling of the safe room.” 

The part which landed on his house is about 4 meters (13 feet) long. 

“It was very lucky that it fell on the safe room, because if it had fallen on another part of the roof, I don't know how it would have ended,” Zvika remarked. 

He said the residents, Michal and her husband Gadi, heard a very loud boom, but said they thought it was “all around”, and didn’t think anything had happened to the house. 

“When you go outside, you see a missile sitting on the roof of your house.” 

Local authorities were notified, and firefighters and police began to canvass the area around the two towns looking for other fallen fragments. 

A police officer said that “Officers from the Mateh Yehuda station of the Jerusalem Border Police are working to isolate the sites of the fall, police sappers from the Jerusalem district are on their way to the scenes in order to deal with the [recovered] items.” 

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sare'e said that the Houthi rebels had attacked “the so-called Ministry of Defense of the Israeli enemy in the occupied Jaffa area with a hypersonic ballistic missile, of the Palestine 2 type.” 

Despite reports of an interception Sare’e claimed: “The missile hit its target, thanks to God, and the interception systems failed to confront it.” 

Sare’e claimed the attack was the third such operation within 12 hours, and said the rebels would “escalate their military operations against the Israeli enemy until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted.”