16 people were lightly injured by shrapnel. The Houthis: "The hypersonic missile traveled at tremendous speed." Katz: "We will strike with force".

For the first time since the war began, the Houthis succeeded in delivering a significant blow to the heart of the State of Israel. A ballistic missile launched from Yemen penetrated Israel's advanced air defense systems and hit a playground in Jaffa, near residential buildings, during the night between Friday and Saturday.

The initial investigation of the ballistic missile impact in Jaffa reveals that several failed interception attempts were made. First, one type of interceptor was launched but failed. Subsequently, attempts were made with other interceptors – which also missed and failed to destroy the missile before it struck Israeli soil. As a result of the impact in Jaffa, within a playground and near residential buildings, 16 people were lightly injured by shrapnel. All injured were evacuated to hospitals in the area.

Houthi Response:
The Houthi military spokesperson claimed responsibility for launching the ballistic missile. Senior Houthi official Nasruddin Amer declared: "The footage clearly shows that the missile that reached the heart of the entity is hypersonic, and its speed is tremendous." He added a threat: "The Zionists will know destruction if they don't stop the aggression in Gaza and refrain from attacking Yemen". Since the war began, the Houthis have launched approximately 200 missiles toward Israel and about 170 UAVs.

Israel's Response:
On December 19, Defense Minister Israel Katz responded: "I warn the leaders of the Houthi terrorist organization: Israel's long arm will reach you too. Whoever raises a hand against the State of Israel – their hand will be cut off, whoever strikes – will be struck sevenfold. We will strike with force and will not allow firing and threats against the State of Israel".

IDF Reports:
At 04:33, the IDF spokesperson announced: "Following the report of a launch from Yemen toward central Israel, an impact was identified in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area. Several people with light injuries were evacuated for medical treatment, Home Front Command teams are operating together with security forces at the scene".

At 07:43, an additional update was provided: "Following this morning's impact in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area, forces from the Dan District of the Home Front Command and additional rescue forces rushed to the impact site and began scanning the area together with the local authority, security forces, and emergency organizations in the area, in order to investigate the impact site".

Photo: IDF Spokesperson