Sanaa, Jan 18 (IANS): Yemen's Houthi group said in a statement on Saturday that it launched a ballistic missile earlier in the day targetting the Israeli Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv.

"In support for the Palestinian people and their Mujahideen (Hamas), we carried out a qualitative military operation, targeting the Ministry of Defence of the Israeli enemy in Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in the statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"The missile reached its target with high accuracy, and the (Israeli) interception systems failed to intercept it," he claimed.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday in a statement that it has intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards central Israel.

Israel's national emergency service Magen David Adom said there were no reports of casualties, except for panic attacks and people bruised on their way to shelter, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Gaza ceasefire agreement was agreed on Wednesday following mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, ending 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire was set to come into force on Sunday.

On Thursday, Yemen's Houthi group's leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, said his group would continue launching attacks against Israel if strikes continue on Gaza.

Since November 2023, the Houthi rebels, who control much of northern Yemen, have been launching rocket and drone attacks against Israel and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians amid their ongoing war with Israel in Gaza.

In response, Israel has launched retaliatory rounds of airstrikes on Houthi targets. In addition, the US-led naval coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids and strikes on Houthi sites since January 2024 in a joint bid to deter the armed group, prompting the Houthis to expand attacks to include the US warships.