The Israeli Air Force revealed in a final investigation on Sunday the reason for its failure in the interception rocket It was launched from Yemen and fell on Saturday in Tel Aviv, wounding 20 people, saying: A defect occurred in the interceptor missile, which led to the failure to intercept the missile.
According to the results of the investigation, the ballistic missile that was launched from Yemen fell in Tel Aviv “due to a local defect in the interceptor missile and not in the air defense system itself,” according to the Israeli Channel 12.
The Israeli Air Force said: “Fears that the Houthi missile is equipped with a warhead capable of maneuvering have been ruled out.”
A defect in the “Hetz” interceptor missile
And Saturday, I figured it out Speculations The warhead of the ballistic missile launched by the Houthis was a maneuvering warhead, meaning that its engine changes course, making the task of detecting and intercepting it difficult, according to the same source.
According to Channel 12, the latest investigation indicated that a defect occurred in the “Hetz (Arrow)” missile, which was launched to intercept the ballistic missile in the upper layer above the atmosphere.
On Saturday morning, a missile fired by the Houthis fell in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area, leaving a crater several meters deep, causing 20 people to be slightly injured and damaging dozens of apartments in the area, according to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz.
The Houthi group claimed responsibility for launching the missile towards central Israel, according to a statement by its military spokesman, Yahya Saree.
Hodeidah ports suffer losses worth $313 million
Last Thursday morning, Israel launched a series of raids on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and the Hodeidah Governorate overlooking the Red Sea in the west of the country, which are under the control of the Houthis.
The Israeli raids caused severe damage to the equipment and infrastructure of the port of Hodeidah – Anatolia
The raids targeted ports and energy infrastructure in the capital, Sanaa, and Hodeidah Governorate on the Red Sea coast, killing 9 citizens and wounding 3.
On Saturday, the Houthi group revealed that Israeli raids On the ports of Hodeidah from July 20 until December 19, it caused severe damage to the equipment and infrastructure of Hodeidah Port, which affected bridge cranes, the power station, and auxiliary tugboats for ships, with total losses estimated at about $313 million.
A “flagrant violation” of international law
The statistic came during a press conference held by the Minister of Transport in the Houthi government, Muhammad Qahim, in the presence of Houthi leaders and the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) about the repercussions of Israel’s targeting of the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Issa.
A statement issued by the press conference explained that the Red Sea Ports Corporation is still suffering from the consequences of previous damage from the Israeli raids on the three ports of Hodeidah.
The statement considered the destruction of Yemeni ports a blatant violation of the principles and provisions of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, including the four Geneva Conventions and the protocols attached to them, which criminalize the targeting of vital facilities that are indispensable to people, such as ports and economic facilities, as they are among the civilian objects that are prohibited from being targeted.
In the wake of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, the Houthi group launches attacks on shipping lanes near Yemen and also launches drones and missiles at Israel.
In response to Houthi attacks in support of Gaza, a series of Israeli raids targeted fuel tanks and a port used to transport fuel in the Yemeni city of Hodeidah.