Israel-Hamas war latest: Houthi missile hits Tel Aviv

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At least 16 people were injured in a missile strike on Tel Aviv, the economic centre of Israel, in the early hours of Saturday.

Thousands of people in central Israel woke to alarms and scrambled to find shelter shortly before 3.45am.

The country’s protective Iron Dome failed to intercept what the IDF said was a “projectile” that had been fired from Yemen.

One missile fell near homes close to Tel Aviv, starting a fire in a playground next to apartment towers.

The Iran-backed group Houthis in Yemen have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

On Thursday, Israel launched strikes against ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-held parts of Yemen and threatened more attacks against the Yemeni group.

Follow the live updates below.

06:31 AM GMT

Houthi official mocks Iron Dome

Houthi official Hezam al-Asad has reportedly posted several mocking messages to social media, some of them in Hebrew.

In one post, translated by The Times of Israel, he wrote: “The failure of all Israeli defence systems means that the heart of the Zionist enemy is no longer secure.”

In another, he appeared to refer to the failure of the Iron Dome to stop this morning’s strike.

“There is no longer any use for interception systems that cost billions of dollars,” the post read.

06:00 AM GMT

Houthis: ‘military target’ hit

Yemen’s Houthis say they hit a “military target” in central Israel’s Jaffa area with a ballistic missile this morning.

Jaffa, one of the oldest operating ports in Israel, is located five miles south of central Tel-Aviv.

The civilian injuries, and damaged park, were in the town of Bnei Brak, in eastern Tel Aviv.

05:26 AM GMT

Crater left in park where missile landed

An Israeli journalist at the scene has filmed the damage left behind by this morning’s attack.

The footage shows debris strewn about a park where a large crater is visible near children’s play equipment:

05:21 AM GMT

More injuries reported

Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency medical service, has upgraded the total number of injured to 16.

Most of the people had been wounded by broken glass, it added.

“I was at home and heard a loud explosion. I immediately went to the scene and saw significant blast damage to nearby buildings,” medic Yosef Kourdi was quoted as saying in a MDA statement.

The statement added: “MDA teams provided medical care to 16 individuals who were mildly injured by glass shards from shattered windows in nearby buildings due to the impact of the strike.”

03:00 AM GMT

Residents injured while running for cover

Israel’s emergency medical service confirmed 14 people have been taken to hospital, mostly with minor injuries from shrapnel.

Several other people were treated for shock.

“Additional teams are treating several people on-site who were injured while heading to protected areas, as well as those suffering from anxiety,” a spokesman for the local ambulance service said.

02:59 AM GMT

Projectile landed near playground

Videos shared on social media show a fire broke out near to a playground and residential apartments.

A “projectile” fell in the town of Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, according to local reports.

Emergency crews rushed to the area and residents took shelter as alarms continued.

02:56 AM GMT

One ‘projectile’ breached Iron Dome

The IDF confirmed attempts to intercept a missile had failed.

“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made,” the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.

Israeli police added: “A short time ago, reports were received of a weapon falling in one of the settlements within the Tel Aviv district.”

02:25 AM GMT

Alarms sound in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv residents have rushed to find shelter after waking shortly before 3.45am to alarms and sirens.

The IDF says a ballistic missile was launched from Yemen.

It is the second time this week that Houthis fired a missile is fired at Israel in the middle of the night.

02:21 AM GMT

Good morning

We’re hearing reports Tel Aviv has been targeted in missile strikes on Israel.

Follow this live blog for updates.