Jerusalem area comes under missile fire twice from Yemen & Gaza; IDF orders new evacuations in Gaza

After months of quiet, the greater Jerusalem area came under fire twice within 12 hours on Saturday when missiles were launched at the region first by the Houthi terrorists from Yemen, and then by Hamas in Gaza.

The first attack came around 2 a.m. on Saturday, when the Houthis continued with their recent habit of firing ballistic missiles at Israel during the night – aiming for Jerusalem this time, rather than Tel Aviv.

🔴 Rocket Alert [02:11:52] - 106 Alerts 🔴:

• Shfelat Yehuda — Ness Harim, Giv'ot Eden, Zanoah, Latrun, Neveh Ilan, Kfar Uriah, Taoz, Mahsiya, Gizo, Tarom, Nachshon, Harel, Neveh Michael (Rogalit), Kiryat Yearim, Beit Meir, Givat Ishayahu, Tzuba, Agur, Tzora, Naham, Beit… pic.twitter.com/9J978PRSis

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 28, 2024

Alarm sirens were activated in southern Jerusalem, in towns and cities west of Jerusalem, including Modi’in and Beit Shemesh, as well as several towns in Judea and near the Dead Sea.

The IDF stated that the missile was intercepted outside Israeli air space, and sirens were triggered to warn citizens against falling shrapnel. There were no injuries reported as a direct consequence of the missile attack.

The Houthis in Yemen later claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said successfully struck the Nevatim Airbase in the southern Negev Desert. This month alone, the Houthis have launched 10 ballistic missiles and about nine drones at Israel so far.

מערכת ה- THAAD האמריקנית לקחה חלק ביירוט הטיל הבליסטי ששוגר אמש מתימן. אפשר לשמוע את אחד החיילים האמריקניים מתרגש "18 שנים חיכיתי לזה" pic.twitter.com/s4VoMfMhaF

— איתי בלומנטל 🇮🇱 Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) December 27, 2024

According to Army Radio, the American THAAD missile defense system deployed in Israel took part in the interception of the attack. The Israeli Air Force said it would check whether THAAD or the Israeli Arrow interceptor missile hit the Houthi missile.

After the first, rare attack on the Jerusalem area, sirens were activated a second time around 4:15 p.m., when Hamas launched two long-range rockets from the northern Gaza neighborhood of Beit Hanoun, shortly after the IDF began a fresh large-scale raid there.

🔴 Rocket Alert [16:14:23] - 85 Alerts 🔴:

• Shfelat Yehuda — Ness Harim, Giv'ot Eden, Zanoah, Beit Guvrin, Latrun, Neveh Ilan, Kfar Uriah, Taoz, Mahsiya, Beko'a, Kiryat Anavim, Gizo, Tarom, Nachshon, Harel, Ma'aleh HaHamisha, Neveh Michael (Rogalit), Luzit, Kiryat Yearim, Beit… pic.twitter.com/hjoqmtB6ii

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) December 28, 2024

The IDF said it intercepted the rockets after they triggered alarms in the area west of Jerusalem, including towns around Beit Shemesh in the Judean Hills. Again, there were no reports of injuries caused by the launches.

Since the first days of the war in October of last year, attacks on the Jerusalem area have become exceptionally rare. The last time Hamas attempted such an attack was on the night of January 1 this year.

The IDF reacted to the attack by issuing new evacuation orders for areas in the Gaza Strip. IDF Arabic-language Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee published a map showing areas near Beit Hanoun that were scheduled to be evacuated immediately.

#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى كل من لم يخلي بعد المنطقة المحددة في الخريطة ومنطقة بيت حانون بالتحديد
🔴لقد تم تحذير هذه المنطقة مرات عديدة في الماضي
🔴يعمل جيش الدفاع في هذه المنطقة بقوة.
🔴عليكم اخلاء المنطقة فورًا والانتقال جنوبًا نحو طريق صلاح الدين. الانتقال عبر طريق آخر يعرضكم… pic.twitter.com/UVgcMH8R9Z

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 28, 2024

“Urgent warning to all those who have not yet evacuated the area marked on the map, specifically the Beit Hanoun area. This area has been warned many times in the past. You must evacuate the area immediately and move south towards Salah a-Din road. Moving via another road exposes you to danger,” Adraee stated.

Beit Hanoun and the surrounding area have been subjected to several large-scale Israeli raids over the past year, but Hamas has apparently continued to resist and rebuild in the area.

Almog Boker, Channel 12’s analyst for southern Israel, reacted to the unusual attack by noting “three important things to say about the unusual shooting from Gaza to Jerusalem: Firstly, if Hamas had the ability, it would launch rockets every day, and it does not have that ability.”

“Secondly, true, a year and three months later, Hamas can launch a rocket once (even a long-range one), but within a year the IDF destroyed capabilities that Hamas had built and continued for 20 years. Thirdly, the area from which the rocket was launched must be destroyed. The whole thing! [Like] every place from where a rocket was launched.”