Israel’s Arrow 3 anti-missile defense system on Sunday morning intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
The surface-to-surface missile was downed outside of Israeli airspace, according to the military.
Sirens were activated in the southern city of Eilat due to fear of falling shrapnel.
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Israeli Air Force jets struck Houthi terrorist targets in Yemen on Saturday night following a deadly drone attack by the Iran-backed group in Tel Aviv the previous day.
The strikes, which Israel said hit several “military targets” in the port city of Hodeidah, appeared to be the first on Yemeni soil since the Houthis joined the war against the Jewish state in support of Hamas in October.
The Arrow 3’s first operational deployment was in November, to down a Houthi missile launched at Israel from the Red Sea region. The system was first deployed in 2017.
The Arrow 3 is one of the most advanced air- and missile-defense systems in the world, designed to intercept long-range exo-atmospheric ballistic missiles.
The system, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, was jointly developed by the Israeli Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.
On Oct. 31, its predecessor the Arrow 2 for the first time intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired from the Red Sea area.
