Fires broke out in the morning west of Jerusalem, in the Beit Shemesh area, which the Israeli army attributed to the “interception” of a missile launched from Yemen.

Soon after, Yemen’s Shia Houthi rebels claimed responsibility.

Firefighters are “trying to put out fires” in this area, which is about 20 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem, the Israel Fire Service said in a statement.

“Along with extinguishing operations, firefighters are conducting checks in the area to rule out the possibility of other outbreaks or damage due to explosions caused by missiles or the air defense system,” the statement added.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack targeting the Nahal Sorek military base, southeast of Jaffa

“The Yemeni armed forces conducted an operation targeting the Nahal Sorek military base, southeast of Jaffa. The strike was precise and caused a fire near the targeted area,” Houthi spokesman Yahya Sari said.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have been launching attacks against Israel since war broke out in the Gaza Strip with Hamas following the Palestinian movement’s attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.

Since then the Houthis have also attacked ships sailing off the coast of Yemen, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of armed pro-Iranian groups, claimed responsibility for four drone strikes launched earlier today against “vital targets” in northern and southern Israel.

The Israeli military said for its part that it “managed to intercept four drones approaching Israel from the east” on the night of Sunday into Monday.

“Two of them were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace,” the same source added.