A leading Israeli security expert has called for a full investigation into why a missile launched on Sunday by the Houthis, the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group, was not intercepted before reaching Israeli territory.

Shrapnel from the ballistic missile and interceptors launched by Israel to foil it sparked a fire in a forest in central Israel.

The Houthis had claimed the projectile was a hypersonic cruise missile which pose a greater threat than older weapons as they travel faster.

But Dr Yehoshua Kalisky of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies said that data on the missile launched on Sunday made available indicated that it was “certainly not a hypersonic cruise missile”.

According to reports, the missile was hit by at least one Arrow interceptor but not destroyed.

Writing on X/Twitter, Dr Kalisky said it appeared that the Houthi weapon “had malfunctioned and did not meet the expected performance standards. It should be assumed that structural failure of the missile’s body contributed to the inability to intercept it.

“Nonetheless, the security establishment should fully investigate the incident, as it was anticipated that a ballistic missile launched from such a great distance would be intercepted well before reaching the territory of the state of Israel.”

Israel and the free world faced a challenge from hypersonic missiles, he warned, because they were able to manoeuvre and evade defence systems.