Yemen: The historic missile attack carried out by the Yemeni Armed Forces on Sunday on the area of Jaffa, in the heart of occupied Palestinian territories, caused a significant tremor within the Israeli entity. 

In an effort to calm the fear among settlers, over two million of whom entered shelters on Sunday due to the Yemeni missile that all Israeli defense systems failed to intercept, the Israeli military denied Yemen’s possession of hypersonic missiles. However, they ignored the persistent questions regarding their failure to detect or intercept the missile early.

Despite these attempts, they did not succeed. The Israeli newspaper "Calcalist" reported on Monday that a high-ranking military source raised the possibility that the missile was indeed hypersonic, stating that “if this is the case, it would represent a fundamental change in the region” and pointed to a “major intelligence failure” on the part of the Israeli military and defense establishment.

Furthermore, the Israeli army's claim that the missile was a conventional ballistic missile contradicts their failure to intercept it. According to the newspaper, “Israeli air defense systems were supposed to detect the missile early on, and systems such as (Arrow-2) and (Arrow-3) are designed to intercept conventional ballistic missiles at long distances and high altitudes.”

The newspaper also pointed out that "Israel is not the only one monitoring missiles fired from Yemen, as coalition forces in the Red Sea, closely coordinating with the U.S. Central Command led by General Michael Kurilla, are also involved." One of the key questions being investigated by the Israeli Air Force is why Israel did not receive prior warnings from these forces.

Additionally, the paper noted: "As far as we know, the attempt to intercept the missile from Yemen failed using the Arrow systems, followed by an Iron Dome interceptor launch, although this system is intended to intercept short-range missiles, and the attempt was not completely successful."

A security source familiar with the incident stated that what happened was "an unusual, bad, and strange event that requires a thorough investigation." The source also highlighted that missile debris was scattered just a few kilometers from one of Israel’s largest strategic sites, Ben Gurion Airport.

This analysis clearly shows that the Israeli army failed in its attempts to downplay the strike and cover up the facts, as it is now caught between acknowledging the development of Yemeni capabilities (which they are trying to avoid) or explaining their colossal failure to intercept and detect the missile early, both options leading to the conclusion that there is no protection from Yemeni firepower.

In this context, the Israeli newspaper "Israel Hayom" noted that "the missile incident from Yemen highlights the multiplicity of fronts and the need for vigilance and readiness to respond quickly across all theaters," but it also revealed "there is no full protection and no perfect response, even against a single threat, despite using multiple tools."

Haaretz reported that the missile launch from Yemen was anticipated, given warnings from the defense minister a day earlier. However, the Israeli defenses failed, signaling "flaws in Israeli defense systems and raising concerns."

The newspaper added that if the Houthis continue targeting Ben Gurion Airport, it could worsen the already severe aviation and tourism crisis, even as the Israeli military ramps up its interception efforts.

The Hebrew magazine "Epoch" considered the missile launch an “intellectual achievement” by the Houthis, similar to when they launched a drone attack on Tel Aviv that resulted in an Israeli casualty.

The magazine quoted a high-ranking security source stating that the Yemeni Armed Forces are "dangerous, persistent, and retaliatory," having waged a continuous military struggle for years against Saudi Arabia and the UAE. They have succeeded in crippling a large part of Saudi Arabia's oil industry and causing significant economic damage through missile and drone attacks.

The Israeli military is hiding behind the claim of an "incident investigation," which is an attempt to develop a narrative to soften the blow. However, convincing settlers that this was merely a coincidence will not be easy, especially since it comes two months after another successful strike with a different weapon.