Dubai, Mar 29 (AP) Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for two missile attacks on Israel as the war in the Middle East marks its one-month anniversary.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, issued statements on Saturday on the rebel group's Al-Masirah satellite television network. He said the Houthis launched two missile attacks within hours of each other.
Israel said it intercepted the first missile. It did not immediately comment on whether it intercepted any projectiles from Yemen in the second attack.
The attacks came after Saree signaled in a vague statement Friday that the rebels would join the war.
It is the first time Israel has faced fire from Yemen since the start of the conflict last month. Houthi attacks on vessels during the Israel-Hamas war upended shipping in the Red Sea.
Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will attend talks in Islamabad on Sunday aimed at ending the war, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said.
Here is the latest:
Israeli strikes kill 17 in southern Lebanon
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The Lebanese health ministry said a strike Saturday evening on Hanniyeh town in Tyre province killed seven people, six Syrians, including a child, and one Lebanese person, and wounded nine others.
In Nabatiyeh province, a strike on Deir al-Zahrani killed seven people and wounded eight, while a separate strike on Kfartabnit killed three and wounded four, the health ministry said.
Houthis say they launched second missile attack on Israel
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Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for Yemen's Houthis, issued the claim in a prerecorded statement aired by the group's Al-Masirah satellite television.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels targeted multiple sites in southern Israel to coincide with attacks from Iran and Hezbollah, Saree said, without identifying the locations.
The launch came hours after the Houthis' first missile attack against Israel in the war began a month ago.
Israel said it intercepted the first missile. It did not immediately comment on whether it intercepted any projectiles from Yemen in the second attack.
"We have been prepared for the Houthis to join this from the beginning,” Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said.
Heavy strikes reported across Tehran
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Witnesses said the strikes were almost continuous for two hours.
The Israeli military said it had completed a “wave of strikes” across Tehran, targeting government infrastructure. (AP) AKY