A ballistic missile fired from Yemen severely damaged a school in Ramat Gan, Israel, Dec. 19, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

(JTA) — A ballistic missile fired from Yemen severely damaged a Tel Aviv-area school early Thursday morning, in some of the most significant damage yet in an ongoing barrage from Houthi rebels based there.

No children were present at the school in the suburb of Ramat Gan, which officials said would be rebuilt, and would reopen in another already constructed building within weeks.

The rocket, which Israel partially intercepted, was fired as Israeli fighter jets were on their way to Yemen to target Houthi positions there. Dozens of jets targeted sites in two cities, including the capital of Sanaa, and Israeli officials said they believed they had debilitated the Houthis’ operations in three ports.

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The Houthis have fired hundreds of missiles at Israel and ships in the Red Sea since the beginning of Israel’s multi-front war, following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

“When Israel acts against the Houthis, it acts for the entire international community,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Fragments from Israel’s interceptor missile landed in the central city of Modiin and near Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem.

The targeted attack on the Houthis comes as Israel’s military has recently barraged Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iranian military sites, and Syrian military targets amid the government collapse there, collectively undercutting threats from Israel’s top adversaries. It is still battling Hamas in Gaza amid signs that a ceasefire and hostage-release deal could be in the works there.

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