A missile launched from Yemen fell early Saturday morning in Jaffa, despite attempts to intercept it inside and outside the atmosphere.
The IDF is investigating why the interception attempt was unsuccessful.
Millions of Israelis entered police stations early in the morning following the alarms that sounded in, among other places, Tel Aviv, Lod, Rehovot, Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut, Rishon LeZion, Be'er Ya'akov, Ness Ziona, Ramla, Or Yehuda, Holon, Yehud Monoson, Shoham, Gedera, Yavne, Kiryat Ono, Savyon, Bat Yam, Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan, Givat Shmuel, Petah Tikva and Givatayim.
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According to the IDF statement, one launch from Yemen was detected, unsuccessful interception attempts were made, and a fall was detected in the airspace. Several interceptor missiles were launched at the Houthi ballistic missile - and all of them missed.
The Air Force is investigating the failure to intercept the ballistic missile, despite attempts to intercept it above and below the atmosphere.
The IDF stated: "The incident is still being investigated in depth, some of the lessons learned have already been implemented, both in the field of interception and warning." The IDF spokesperson emphasized that "it is not possible to provide further details about the air defense activity and the warning system in order to maintain information security." The IDF added: "Air defense is not hermetic and the Home Front Command's instructions must continue to be followed.".
Kan News reported that after the ballistic missile from Yemen was identified and warnings were activated in the central region, interceptors from the Arrow system were launched into the upper atmosphere and missed the target outside Israel. Later, interceptors were launched at the missile, this time in the lower atmosphere, which also missed the target.
The Israeli air defense system operates in layers and is called the 'multi-layered defense array.' In the upper layer above the atmosphere, the Arrow 3 and Arrow 2 arrays operate, in the middle layer the 'David's Sling' array, and in the lower layer the 'Iron Spoon' array.
It appears that in the fall in Jaffa, two layers of defense were penetrated - something that was found in the Air Force investigation.
Following the missile strike, a crater was created in a playground between buildings in the area of Baal Shem Tov and Dov Mezeritch streets, south of Tel Aviv-Yafo.
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Photo: Avshalom Shoshani and Itai Ron
MDA reported that 16 people were slightly injured by broken glass and were evacuated to Wolfson Hospital in Holon and Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. In addition, 14 additional people were injured on the way to a protected area and seven others suffered from anxiety. Home Front Command teams are working at the scene alongside security forces - the police, MDA and the fire department.
A medic from the MDA motorcycle unit, Yosef Kurdi, who lives nearby, said: "I was at home and heard a loud explosion. I immediately went to the scene and saw significant damage to buildings near the crash site. Large MDA forces arrived quickly. We immediately began scanning the buildings and injured people began arriving from the houses.".
MDA paramedic Noam Wisbuch and senior MDA medic Noa Shimoni added: "The scene was complex because the impact was in apartments in nearby buildings. At first, a number of people with minor injuries from broken glass and panic attacks arrived. We conducted scans of the apartments, treated and evacuated 16 minor injuries from the scene, including a 3-year-old girl, and we also treated panic attacks.".
