JERUSALEM - A small group of Yemenite Jews has reached Israel after a secret airlift from their Arab homeland.

The quasi-governmental Jewish Agency says it brought the 10 people to Israel on Thursday after a "special operation."

Spokesman Michael Jankelowitz says the Yemenites had been threatened by al-Qaida. He refused to say how they were rescued, citing security concerns.

Most of Yemen's Jewish community immigrated to Israel after the Jewish state was founded in 1948. But about 280 Jews remain there.

Jankelowitz says the community has faced growing threats over the past year. He says Jews in the capital of San'a fled their homes last year because of al-Qaida threats. And in December, a Yemenite Jew was killed in a shooting attack.

The new arrivals will be given temporary housing near Jerusalem.