Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar commended the Yemen’s Houthis recent operation against “Israel”, after a hypersonic ballistic missile hit central “Israel” on Sunday. 

 

In a letter sent today by Sinwar to Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the Hamas Chief thanked the Yemeni group for their “sincere sentiments and steadfast will, which we saw both on the ground and through their communications.”

 

“I congratulate you on the success of your missiles reaching deep into the Zionist entity, bypassing its defense layers and interception systems,” Sinwar said in his message, seen by Al-Jazeera.

 

“The Al-Aqsa Flood operation was intended to deal a blow to the Zionist project in Palestine and the region,” Sinwar continued.

 

Sinwar’s message to the Houthis follows the launch of their “fifth phase” of their operations against the Israeli Occupation.

 

Read more: Netanyahu threatens Houthis after ballistic missile attack

 

Yesterday, the Houthi military spokesperson announced the execution of a “high-precision military operation” targeting an “Israeli” military site in the occupied Palestinian city of Jaffa.

 

He stated that the operation was carried out using a new hypersonic ballistic missile, which traveled approximately 2,040 kilometers in 11 and a half minutes.

 

According to the statement, the strike caused more than two million settlers to seek shelter in bunkers for the first time.

 

This operation is part of the fifth phase of their campaign and represents a culmination of efforts to develop their missile capabilities – the statement added.

 

The Houthis also warned “Israel” to expect more such operations, particularly as the anniversary of October 7 approaches.

 

Meanwhile, Hebrew media reported that the “Israeli” Air Force acknowledged its failure to intercept the Yemeni missile despite several attempts. The “Israeli” military radio confirmed that this is not the first time Yemen has successfully breached Israel's air defense systems.

 

The Hebrew media described the incident as a failure of “Israel’s” home front and air defense systems to deal with the Yemeni missile.

 

Reports indicated that the missile’s flight path covered about 2,000 kilometers, with the expected flight time for such a ballistic missile being around 15 minutes.

 

The Houthis also downed today an American MQ-9 drone flying over the city of Dhamar in south western Yemen using a surface-to-air missile.

 

Houthi spokesperson brigadier general Yahya Sare’e said the aircraft, which it is worth around USD 32 million, was conducting “hostile missions,” adding that this the third such drone shot down over Yemen in one week, and the tenth overall since the start of the Houthi campaign against the Israeli Occupation and US and British forces.

 

He added that the surface-to-air missile used to shoot down the drone was locally made.