Sirens sounded in Be'er Sheva and nearby areas at 2:45 a.m. Saturday morning.
The IDF confirmed, "IDF: Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted."
"The missile was intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol."
Hours later, a UAV arriving from the east was intercepted outside Israel; no sirens were sounded.
The Houthis claimed that they launched two missiles towards Israel, one of which "targeted a vital Israeli enemy target in the occupied area of Yaffa (Jaffa)," and the second which "targeted a vital Israeli enemy target in the occupied Ashkelon area."
The missile was the first for which the Home Front Command provided an early alert, allowing citizens several minutes before the siren itself sounded.
While the siren itself sounded only in Be'er Sheva and surrounding areas, however, the early alert sounded in Jerusalem and a large number of communities in central Israel.
Some social media users expressed confusion, asking if there had been a siren; others asked why they received an alert if there was no siren. One complained that "half the country" had been awakened for a launch that targeted a relatively small geographic area.
The IDF says the purpose of the preliminary guideline is to allow advanced preparedness, enabling civilians to move to safer nearby shelters and to receive the notification from official sources.