SANAA : Yemen’s Houthi rebels said today that they had fired a ballistic missile at central Israel, with Israeli forces saying they intercepted the attack. The missile was aimed at the Tel Aviv area, the Iran-backed Houthis said. The Israelis reported it was shot down before it entered Israeli territory.

The Yemen-based Houthi militant group said Wednesday it fired a ballistic missile at the Tel Aviv area in central Israel, an attack that prompted air raid sirens to sound but caused no damage. Israel’s military said it intercepted the missile before it crossed into Israeli territory.

Israel has vowed to begin targeting leaders of the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen — a major escalation after the terror group claimed responsibility for a spate of missile and drone attacks. “Just as we took care of [Yayha] Sinwar in Gaza,