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Late on February 2, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen said that they struck the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat with several ballistic missiles.
The group struck “specific targets” in the city to demonstrate its “support to the Palestinian people in facing the Israeli war and blockade,” said Houthi military spokesman Brigade General Yahya Sarea in a statement.
“We will not hesitate to carry out further military operations against the Zionist enemy [Israel] on land and at sea until the aggression is stopped and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted,” he adde.
Hours earlier, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that was headed toward Israel, likely aimed for Eilat, over the Red Sea using the Arrow long-range anti-missile system.
No sirens were triggered during the interception. Video footage from Eilat showed a trail of smoke from the Arrow missile launch.
In recent months, the Houthsi launched several ballistic and cruise missiles as well as suicide drones at Eilat in response to the Israeli war on Gaza. The last attack on the key port city came as the death toll in the Strip exceeded 27,000 Palestinians.
The Houthis, who are backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have been also targeting Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The United States and the United Kingdom launched dozens of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in recent weeks in an attempt to deter the group. Nevertheless, this led to more escalation as the Houthis expanded their operations to include attacks on American and British ships.
