Houthi missile intercepted before entering Israeli airspace

The army says a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.

This is the second night in a row in which the Iran-backed group has fired a ballistic missile at central Israel, in what has become a near-nightly occurrence.

IMF and Egypt reach deal unlocking $1.2 billion

The International Monetary Fund says it has reached a deal with Egyptian authorities allowing the country access to about $1.2 billion.

The funding access is subject to executive board approval.

“The Egyptian authorities have continued to implement key policies to preserve macroeconomic stability, despite ongoing regional tensions that are causing a sharp decline in Suez Canal receipts,” says Ivanna Vladkova Hollar, who led the IMF mission involved in discussions with Egyptian authorities.

She adds that “continued implementation of fiscal consolidation efforts will be necessary to preserve debt sustainability, and reduce large interest costs and gross domestic financing requirements.”

The deal comes as both sides reached staff-level agreement on the fourth review under the Extended Fund Facility arrangement, the fund says.

Sirens activated in central Israel as missile launched from Yemen

Sirens were activated a short time ago in central Israel as a result of a missile launch from Yemen, the army says.

Details are being checked.