Eilat: Yemen's Houthi group said in a statement on Saturday that it launched a ballistic missile earlier in the day targeting the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. "In support for the Palestinian people and their Mujahideen (Hamas), we carried out a qualitative military operation, targeting the Ministry of Defense of the Israeli enemy in Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in the statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the spokesperson claimed that the missile reached its target with high accuracy, and the Israeli interception systems failed to intercept it. However, the Israel Defense Forces stated on Saturday that they intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards central Israel. Israel's national emergency service, Magen David Adom, reported no casualties, except for panic attacks and people bruised on their way to shelter.

The missile attack comes in the wake of a Gaza ceasefire agreement reached on Wednesday, following mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, which aimed to end 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire was scheduled to come into force on Sunday.

On Thursday, the leader of Yemen's Houthi group, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, announced that his group would continue launching attacks against Israel if strikes on Gaza persisted. Since November 2023, the Houthi rebels, who control much of northern Yemen, have been conducting rocket and drone attacks against Israel and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians amid their ongoing conflict with Israel in Gaza.

In retaliation, Israel has launched airstrikes on Houthi targets. Additionally, the U.S.-led naval coalition stationed in the region has been carrying out air raids and strikes on Houthi sites since January 2024, as part of a joint effort to deter the armed group. This has led the Houthis to expand their attacks to include U.S. warships.