The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they unfold.
Missile attack halts arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport for some 30 minutes
The apparent Houthi attack temporarily halts arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport, with four flights from Europe told to wait and not near the airport, according to Hebrew media.
After some 30 minutes, the airport resumes its normal activities.
IDF: One missile fired from Yemen, intercepted outside Israeli airspace
The IDF says the alerts that sounded across central Israel, sending millions to bomb shelters in the middle of the night, were triggered by a single missile fired from Yemen.
The projectile was intercepted outside Israel’s airspace, and the alarms were activated for fear of falling debris, the military says.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says 18 people were lightly hurt while rushing to a bomb shelter, and two people suffered acute anxiety attacks.
No immediate reports of casualties in latest apparent Houthi attack
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it hasn’t received reports of injuries in the latest apparent Houthi attack on central Israel.
The Israel Fire and Rescue Service also says it hasn’t received reports of unusual incidents.
Explosions were heard shortly after the sirens in central Israel and as far as Jerusalem.
האזעקות במרכז ובשפלה – בעקבות שיגור שחצה מתימן@ItayBlumental @ela1949 @Itsik_zuarets @hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/CPPdxWfqPb
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) December 27, 2024
Nighttime sirens again sound in central Israel; IDF says projectile fired from Yemen
For the fifth night in the last eight days, sirens sound in large swathes of central Israel, indicating another potential missile attack by Yemen’s Houthis.
The IDF indeed says the alerts were triggered by a projectile launched from Yemen, adding that detail are being looked into.
There are no immediate further details, but shortly before the alarms, residents of central Israel reported hearing explosions.
????Millions of Israelis are currently in shelter as Houthi terrorists in Yemen launched a missile attack, triggering sirens across Israel. pic.twitter.com/RvsSAGyvHG
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 27, 2024
Haredi coalition faction chastises Ben Gvir’s ‘dangerous’ Temple Mount visit
Senior coalition lawmaker Moshe Gafni slams far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for visiting and praying at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Temple Mount, accusing him of desecrating the holy site and causing “bloodshed.”
Ben Gvir’s visit prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office to swiftly say in a statement that the longstanding status quo at the compound — according to which Jews are not allowed to pray atop the mount — has not changed. Under Ben Gvir, who is in charge of the police, enforcement of the prayer ban has dramatically loosened, and Jews have started frequently prostrating and openly praying during visits.
The ultra-Orthodox Gafni, No. 2 in the United Torah Judaism party and the leader of its Degel Hatorah faction, writes a piece in faction mouthpiece Yated Ne’eman headlined “Minister Ben Gvir is continuing to inflame tensions with a dangerous ascent to the Temple Mount.”
“Ben Gvir is severely harming the sanctity of the place, inciting the whole world against the Jewish people, and leading to bloodshed,” he charges, with the newspaper saying rabbis and public officials have protested the visit.
While the Haredi community is overwhelmingly opposed to entering the site due to its holiness, growing parts of the religious Zionist community support the pilgrimage, and the number of Jews entering the site has soared in recent years.
After strikes on Houthis, US backs ‘Israel’s right to defend itself’
The United States appears to back Israel’s latest strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, while stressing the need to prevent civilian casualties.
“We support Israel’s right to defend itself,” a State Department official tells The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity. “In doing so, it is critical that Israel’s operations be conducted in a way that complies with its obligations regarding the protection of civilians.”
UN chief calls Israeli strikes Houthi targets in Yemen ‘alarming’
The spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemns the recent escalation between Israel and Yemen’s Houthi terror group, branding Israel’s airstrikes on Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations as “alarming.”
Israel says it struck multiple targets linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including Sanaa International Airport. Houthi media says at least six people were killed.
“Israeli airstrikes today on Sanaa International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations in Yemen are especially alarming,” the UN chief’s spokesperson says in a press briefing while expressing concerns about the risk of further regional escalation.
IDF: Explosions heard in southern, central Israel caused by pre-planned military activity
Explosions heard in southern and central Israel a short while ago were caused by pre-planned military activity in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF says.
According to the military, there is no fear of a security incident.
The IDF does not detail what is being destroyed in the explosions.