ISRAEL made use of its Arrow 3 “missile-killer” for the first time as it downed a rocket allegedly launched by Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.

The lethal long-range air defence system is able to intercept ballistic missiles from thousands of miles away and blast them out of the sky.

Israel’s military said its forces “successfully intercepted” a “surface-to-surface missile” fired towards Israel from the area of the Red Sea using its Arrow 3 system.

It is thought to be the world’s first operational and stand-alone defence system that can be used against tactical ballistic missiles.

The powerful state-of-the-art piece of kit detects, tracks and then fires a hit-to-kill warhead to intercept the incoming missile.

It can cleanly blast the incoming warheads out of the sky, therefore preventing damage to buildings and civilians.

The fearsome anti-missile launcher can be used to defend Israel in conjunction with the “Iron Dome” – dubbed the “guardian of the skies” as well as the “Iron Sting” and “Iron Beam” weapons systems.

Today, the IDF said that Arrow intercepted the missile – believed to have been sent from Yemen – “at the most appropriate operational time and location.”

Footage showed a large trail of smoke after the Arrow was launched and residents reported hearing a large blast, The Times of Israel reports.

The IDF also claimed this morning to have used fighter jets to intercept “hostile targets” flying in from the Red Sea this morning.

“All the threats were intercepted outside the territory of the State of Israel. No intrusion into Israeli territory was detected,” the IDF added.

After Israel’s announcement, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels took responsibility for the aerial assault and claimed to have fired “a large number” of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel today.

In a video statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed it was the third attack they had launched at Israel and vowed there would be more to come.

He warned the attacks would continue until “Israeli aggression” stopped, referring to Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, are part of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” which encompasses Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

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Last week, Israel accused the Houthi movement of sending drones that caused explosions in two Egyptian towns on the Red Sea, arguing they were intended to strike Israel.

And on October 19, a US warship was forced to fire its first shots in the defence of Israel when it downed a missile believed to have been launched by the Houthis.

An official said the USS Carney shot down 15 drones and four cruise missiles fired by the militia group in a nine-hour onslaught.

It comes amid fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict is close to spiralling into an all-out war across the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Israel said its forces have killed “dozens” of Hamas fighters after storming Gaza’s sprawling tunnel network and attacking underground compounds.

The IDF claimed to have made “significant progress” in their ground offensive as they continued advancing deeper into the besieged enclave.

It said that ground and air forces hit Hamas positions and anti-tank guided missile squads, and footage revealed Israeli troops marching through Gaza after reportedly hitting 300 targets overnight.

It comes as:

• IDF soldier Ori Megidish was rescued after she was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists
• Israeli PM Netanyahu rejected all calls for a ceasefire saying “this is a time for war”
• Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues to worsen as aid trucks struggle to enter and Palestinian authorities claim thousands have been killed
• Israeli PM Netanyahu slammed “cruel” Hamas hostage video
• Israel said that German tattoo artist Shani Louk was tortured and beheaded after a skull fragment found
• A pro-Hamas terrorist was shot dead in Jerusalem after stabbing a police officer

On Monday, footage showed tanks and troops ploughing into Gaza and wiping out 600 terror targets in 24 hours.

Israel said today that troops attacked Hamas gunmen inside Gaza’s vast tunnel network – where the terror group is believed to be hiding hostages.

The tunnels are a key objective for Tel Aviv as it enters its ” “second stage of war,” inside Gaza to wipe out Hamas following the terrorist’s bloody October 7 attacks that saw 1,400 Israelis slaughtered.

Speaking to The Sun, the former British military commander Colonel Richard Kemp said that Israel has made “significant progress”.

He told The Sun: “I think the IDF moved into the Gaza strip in significant military strength, with tanks, infantry engineers supported by artillery attack, helicopters and UAVs.

“And they’re making quite significant progress, there have been reports today that they have destroyed a great deal of the Hamas infrastructure inside Gaza, killed around four senior Hamas leaders.

“As far as I’m aware, there have been either none or very limited Israeli casualties, but that hasn’t yet been confirmed. So I think it’s so far progressing pretty well.”