Jerusalem, Dec 28 (IANS): The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said early Saturday that it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen aimed at the Jerusalem area.

The IDF statement said that "a projectile launched from Yemen was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory."

The missile activated air defense sirens in the Jerusalem area, the Judean Lowlands, and the Dead Sea, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to rush to shelters just after 2:10 a.m. local time (0010 GMT), said the IDF.

On Thursday, Israeli fighter jets conducted a series of strikes on Yemeni targets, including on the international airport in Sanaa and power stations. The airstrikes killed at least six, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Earlier on December 27, Yemen's Houthi group announced that it had launched a 'hypersonic ballistic missile' targeting Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, claiming it had hit its target.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement on Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that the strike had caused casualties and disrupted air traffic at the airport.

"The missile succeeded in reaching its target despite the enemy's secrecy. The operation resulted in casualties and the suspension of air traffic at the airport," Sarea alleged.

However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had intercepted the missile. The IDF acknowledged that air traffic had been halted for 30 minutes, while Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said 18 people had been slightly injured on their way to shelters.

The Houthis also claimed responsibility for additional attacks, including a drone strike on what they described as a 'vital' site in Tel Aviv and a vessel named Santa Ursula near Yemen's Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea. According to Sarea, the vessel had been targeted for alleged connections to Israeli ports.

"The Israeli aggression on civilian facilities in Sanaa and Hodeidah will increase our determination to support the Palestinian people," Sarea said, vowing to expand attacks on Israeli targets until the "aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted."

Israel had launched airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in Yemen, including Sanaa International Airport and facilities in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that the strikes had caused significant damage, killing at least six people and injuring dozens, including a United Nations staff member, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), had been at Sanaa International Airport, preparing to board a UN flight, when Israeli airstrikes struck the area. He confirmed that he and his team had escaped the strikes without harm.

Ghebreyesus had been in Sanaa for talks aimed at securing the release of UN personnel who had been detained by the Houthi group earlier that year. He had called on the Houthi leadership to release the detained employees without delay.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had also criticised the intensifying violence, calling for adherence to international law.