JERUSALEM, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in two statements that it had intercepted a missile and a drone fired by the Houthi group in Yemen on Friday.

The missile, fired at about 4:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT), activated sirens across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, sending millions of residents to shelters.

Israel's national emergency service, Magen David Adom, said 12 people were injured while heading to shelters.

According to the IDF, the missile was intercepted after it crossed into Israeli territory, with a fragment landing near the city of Modi'in in central Israel.

Israel's Channel 12 TV News reported that the missile's engine was found in a backyard in the Israeli settlement of Har Gilo in the West Bank, near Jerusalem, causing minor damage.

The channel added that flights at Ben Gurion International Airport were halted for about half an hour following the launch, and two were diverted to Larnaca, Cyprus.

Later in the morning, the IDF said it had intercepted a drone launched from Yemen before it crossed into Israeli territory. In this case, sirens were not activated. Enditem

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