JERUSALEM: Yemen鈥檚 Houthi militants said they conducted an attack Monday on central Israel, after the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from the Arabian Peninsula country.

In a statement, the Iran-backed Houthis said they carried out a 鈥渕ilitary operation targeting the Nahal Sorek military base鈥� southeast of Jaffa, adding the 鈥渉it was accurate and led to a fire鈥�.

Israeli firefighters were battling blazes west of Jerusalem, with the army saying the fires were sparked by debris from an intercepted missile fired from Yemen.
Firefighters were working to douse the blazes, conducting scans around Beit Shemesh to rule out more fires and 鈥渄amage from interceptor/missile shrapnel,鈥� the Jerusalem region fire service said.

In a statement, it said: 鈥淔ollowing the sirens that sounded in the Shfelat Yehuda, Yehuda, and Lakhish areas of central Israel, the IAF (Israeli Air Force) intercepted one projectile that approached Israel from the direction of Yemen.
鈥淭he projectile did not cross into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.鈥�
Yemen鈥檚 Houthi militants, part of Iran鈥檚 鈥渁xis of resistance鈥� against Israel and the United States, have periodically fired drones and missiles at Israel since the start of the Gaza war.
The Houthis have also waged a harassment campaign against shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, severely disrupting the vital trade route.