The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they happen.
IDF confirms downing missile fired from Yemen, says checking reports of fallen debris near Modiin In another update, the IDF now says it downed the missile fired from Yemen. The military adds that it’s looking into reports that missile debris fell near the central city of Modiin. There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which occurred shortly after 4:30 a.m., waking millions of people and sending then scrambling to air raid shelters. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched missiles and drones at Israel nearly every day in recent weeks.
IDF says missile entered Israeli territory after attempted interceptions; no direct injuries reported The military says that the missile fired from Yemen entered Israeli territory, and that it attempted to intercept the projectile. “The results [of the attempted interceptions] are being looked into,” says an IDF statement. The Magen David Adom ambulance service meanwhile says it hasn’t received reports of any direct injuries due to the missile attack, but medics are treating over 20 people suffering from acute anxiety or who were hurt while seeking shelter.
Former US soldier indicted for attempting to join Hezbollah WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania man who previously served in the US Army has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of attempting to support Lebanon’s Hezbollah and of making false statements to the FBI, the US Justice Department says. Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, is a dual citizen of the US and Ireland and traveled to Lebanon and Syria in 2024 to attempt to join Hezbollah, which is designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization, the Justice Department says in a statement. The department says Molloy returned to the US in late 2024 and continued making attempts to join Hezbollah. He had also promoted hatred and violence against Jews, the Justice Department says, adding he was formerly enlisted as an active-duty soldier in the US Army from mid-March to late April in 2019. The Justice Department says Molloy lied to the FBI about his intentions to join Hezbollah when questioned upon his return to the United States in late 2024. It says he was arrested on December 6 in Chicago. If convicted, Molloy faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for a material support charge. For false statement charges, he faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. A representative of Molloy cannot immediately be contacted. Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
A man was lightly hurt in a rock-throwing attack on an Israeli bus in the northern West Bank, according to medics and the military. The Magen David Adom ambulance service says the 42-year-old, who was wounded by broken glass, was taken to a hospital in the central city of Kfar Saba following the attack on Route 55 near the Karnei Shomron settlement. The bus he was riding on was lightly damaged, the Israel Defense Forces says, adding that the suspects fled the scene.