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The Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced on November 22 that they had launched a number of cruise missiles from Yemen at military targets in the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat, in a new operation to avenge the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
“The winged missiles targeted various military targets of the Israeli entity in Eilat,” Houthi spokesman Brigade General Yahya Sari said in a statement.
“We will continue to carry out more military operations until the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank stops,” the spokesman added, without providing further details.
Ahead of the announcement sirens were sounded in Eilat. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that a fighter jet successfully shot down a cruise missile over the Red Sea, close to the port city. The missile did not enter Israeli airspace, according to the IDF.
The Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen and maintain a large arsenal of missiles and drones, are part of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” which is backed by Iran and opposes Israel.
This was the Houthis ninth attack against Israel since the war broke out in Gaza. In addition, the group shot down a combat drone of the United States military that was allegedly operating off Yemen’s western coast in support of Israel. It also seized an Israeli-owned ship that was sailing towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Israel is yet to respond against the Houthis, likely not to further provoke the battle-hardened group. Any attack on Yemen by Israel or the U.S. will likely lead to a serious escalation.
