Illustrative image. (The Houthis’ Military Media)
A suicide drone launched by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) from Yemen on April 4 penetrated Israeli airspace before being shot down.
The drone was launched at Israel “from the east,” the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement, adding that the drone was shot down over the southern Israeli area of Arava. Sirens were not activated in any area amid the attack.
The Houthis later released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, and claiming to have targeted a “military target” near the city of Tel Aviv in central Israel using a Yafa suicide drone.
The Yafa is a larger version of an Iranian suicide drone codenamed by the United States military and intelligence as KAS-04. The Houthis have been operating several versions of the KAS-04 dubbed Samad-1, 2, 3 and 4 for more than six years now.
In the same statement, Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said that the group air defenses shot down a Giant Shark F360 reconnaissance drone over the northern Yemeni province of Sadaa. He alleged that the Chinese-made, commercially-available drone was being operated either by the U.S. or Israel.
“The Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to fulfilling their duties towards the oppressed Palestinian people until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted,” the spokesman stressed.
The U.S. military resumed strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on March 15 on orders from President Donald Trump, who said that the large-scale operation was launched in response to the group’s renewed attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
A few days later, the Houthis expanded their operations launching direct missile and drone strikes against Israel, which also renewed its offensive in Gaza.
Separately on April 4, Trump posted a video to his Truth Social network purportedly showing an U.S. strike killing dozens of Houthi fighters, adding the comment “oops.”
More than 70 people gathered in a loose oval along a road can be seen in the footage being hit by a large blast. None of them appears to have survived.
“These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis!
They will never sink our ships again!,” he wrote.
Since the start of the U.S. large-scale operation in Yemen, at least 67 people, including commanders of the Houthis and civilians, have been reportedly killed.
The Houthis have taken some serious losses. Still, the group appears to be determined to go on with the battle against Israel and the U.S. in support of Gaza.
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