A missile fired from Yemen hit Tel Aviv overnight into Saturday, Israeli authorities said, in a rare instance of a failed interception over the city.

The Israeli military said several people were lightly injured after its air defenses failed to intercept the projectile, which struck a playground in the city.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike in the Jaffa area and celebrated the Israel Defense Forces’ failed attempt to intercept the missile.

The Israeli army said an attempt to intercept a projectile launched from Yemen overnight, some 2,000 kilometres away, was unsuccessful. Several people were injured after the projectile fell in Tel Aviv,

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Yemen's Houthi rebels issued a statement on Telegram saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at an unidentified military target.View on euronews

A missile fired from Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv before dawn on Saturday, wounding 16 people in the second such attack within days.

The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people.