JERUSALEM — The Houthi militia in Yemen claimed responsibility Sunday for a rare missile attack on Israel, the second time in two months that the Iranian-backed group has successfully penetrated the skies over the central part of the country.

The assault was the latest illustration of the evolving conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iranian proxies, which have mounted attacks on Israeli territory in what they have said is solidarity with Palestinians under bombardment in the Gaza Strip. It also demonstrated the military capabilities of the Houthis, based hundreds of miles from Israel on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

Air-raid sirens blared in dozens of towns and villages in central Israel around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, sending people rushing to fortified safe rooms and bomb shelters.

The Israeli military initially said the Houthis had fired a surface-to-surface missile that landed in an “open area” and that no casualties were reported. In a follow-up statement, the military said an initial inquiry indicated the missile had “fragmented midair” and that it was reviewing its attempts to intercept the strike.

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Missile Intercepted, Not Destroyed

Later Sunday, an Israeli military official said that a review had concluded that the missile was intercepted, breaking it into parts but not destroying it. The military did not provide a name for the official, citing protocols.

Yahya Sarea, a Houthi military spokesperson, said the armed group had fired a ballistic missile at what he claimed was a military target in central Israel. His claims could not be independently verified.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested his country would respond to the attack, which he cast as part of a wider “battle against Iran’s axis of evil that is striving to destroy us.”

“They should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” he said, referring to the Houthis, at the start of a government meeting.

Hamas in Gaza is one of several armed groups in the region that are backed by Iran, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, welcomed the Houthi missile launch.

Since Israel started bombing Gaza in response to the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, some of Iran’s regional proxies have launched attacks on Israeli interests and prompted fears of a widening war.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Adam Rasgon/Sergey Ponomarev
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