Houthi missile shrapnel hits Jerusalem-area schoolyard during school hours – miraculously, no injuries

Sirens were activated across central Israel on Sunday morning, disrupting normal school and workday activities for millions of Israelis following the launch of a ballistic missile by Houthi rebels in Yemen. 

The missile was intercepted outside Israeli airspace, according to the IDF. 

Magen David Adom emergency services reported that two women sustained moderate and light injuries on their way to the protected area, one of whom fell into a ditch on the side of a road. A 42-year-old woman was driving on Route 1 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem when the air raid sirens were activated. While trying to evacuate her vehicle, she fell into a steep ditch near the road and was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries to her limbs and back. 

In addition, fragments of the ballistic missile interception were found at a school in the Jerusalem area. No students were present in the school yard at the time. 

Israel Police said shrapnel had been identified in a number of locations following the missile attack from Yemen, including at a school soccer field in Tzur Hadassah, on the tiled roof of a house in Shatul, and in the garden of another nearby home. At the Shimshon Junction, interceptor parts were reported to have fallen on the roof of a vehicle, while in Moshav Taoz, shrapnel from an interception was found in an open area. 

No injuries from the shrapnel were reported, however, there was some property damage. 

Several flights approaching Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv were temporarily delayed until the missile was intercepted and the alert was over, including the first Ryan Air flight in months. The airline had previously canceled flights to Israel due to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

The missile attack marked the eighth attempt by Yemen's Houthi rebels to strike Israel since the collapse of the hostage-ceasefire deal in early March, which led the IDF to resume military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called for an attack on Iran following the launches. 

“When the Houthis, Iran's terrorist arm, fire on Israel, Israel needs to respond in Tehran,” Bennett wrote on 𝕏. “It is Iran that finances, arms, trains, and operates the Houthis. Iran has a lot to lose; the Houthis much less. Therefore, Israel must exact a price from Iran. Only in this way will Iran understand; they don't shoot at the Jewish state.” 

Opposition leader and National Unity Chairman Benny Gantz also called for an attack on Iran. In a post on 𝕏, he retweeted a statement from December: “The solution for Yemen is in Iran. We must not be satisfied with retaliatory actions against the Houthis – the time has come to deal with the head.” 

The attack also followed additional U.S. military strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen over the weekend.

The Houthi-run news agency SABA reported multiple strikes in Yemen on Friday night, including in the capital, Sanaa, and the governorates of al-Jawf and Saada. 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) later posted two videos on X showing video footage of the strikes. 

CENTCOM Forces Attack Houthi Positions...#HouthisAreTerrorists pic.twitter.com/6pOZhOmTp6

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 28, 2025

In a statement on Sunday morning, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group attacked the USS Harry S. Truman three times over the preceding 24 hours, using missiles, drones, and naval forces. However, the rebel group has claimed to have successfully targeted the aircraft carrier on at least three previous occasions without providing any proof. The U.S. Navy denies any successful attacks on its ships in the area since the start of the U.S. strikes under the new administration of President Donald Trump. 

The Houthis have vowed to keep “supporting the oppressed Palestinian people until the aggression against Gaza is stopped.”