The Arrow air defense system intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired at Israel from the “Red Sea area” in the long-range system’s first operational use during the war with Hamas, the military said on Tuesday.
The ballistic missile was believed to have been fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and targeted the southernmost city of Eilat.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said air force systems tracked the missile’s trajectory and intercepted it “at the most appropriate time and location.” Photos showed a plume of smoke from the Arrow missile, while residents reported hearing a large explosion.
The IDF also said fighter jets shot down two more “enemy targets” in the morning, believed to be drones, flying in the Red Sea area.
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“All threats were intercepted outside the territory of the State of Israel. No intrusion into Israeli territory was detected,” the IDF added.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the missile in the latest attacks, as well as a series of similar attacks on southern Israel.
Yemenis, some with Palestinian flags, gather for prayer in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sanaa on October 27, 2023 (MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP)
Yahya Sria, a spokesman for the group, said the airstrike, which included drones as well as ballistic and cruise missiles, was carried out “out of a sense of religious, moral, humanitarian and national responsibility” for the people of Gaza given the weakness of the Arab world and the agreements between some Arab countries and Israel.”
The operation was triggered by “the demands of the Yemeni people,” he added.
Saria noted that this was the group’s third attack against Israel since the start of the war and announced that it would carry out further attacks with missiles and drones against Israel.
Abdelaziz bin Habtour, prime minister of the Houthi government, said earlier on Tuesday that “these drones belong to the state of Yemen.”
The Houthis, who captured the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014 and control large parts of the country, are, together with Hamas – which is also supported by Tehran – “part of the axis of resistance” against Israel and fight with “words and drones”. he added.
It was the latest in a series of attacks believed to have been carried out by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen amid fears that Israel’s war with Hamas, sparked by the terrorist group’s murderous attack on October 7, could spill over to other fronts.
Suspected drone infiltration sirens sounded in Eilat on Tuesday morning, with the IDF initially saying it had identified an “aerial target” approaching Israeli territory. It was later confirmed that warplanes had intercepted two targets believed to be drones launched from Yemen.
Armed Houthi fighters take part in the funeral procession of Houthi rebel fighters killed in battle with forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, in Sanaa, Yemen, Nov. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
“There was no threat or danger to the civilian population,” the military said.
Tens of thousands of people displaced by the Hamas attack on southern Israel and Hezbollah attacks on the north are being temporarily housed in the southern resort town.
On Friday, a fighter jet intercepted a target over the Red Sea – apparently a drone heading to Israel – shortly after an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the Egyptian Red Sea city of Taba, injuring six people. The IDF said the early morning attack in Taba came from “the Red Sea area,” an apparent reference to Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Taba lies on the border with Israel and is about 10 kilometers (six miles) from Eilat.
This Oct. 19, 2023, handout image courtesy of the U.S. Navy shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeating a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea (Aaron Lau / US NAVY). / AFP)
The explosions in Egypt came after Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attempted to fire rockets at Israel across the Red Sea earlier this month. The Pentagon announced that a U.S. Navy warship intercepted three northbound missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and that they may have been aimed at Israel.
Houthi rebels have expressed support for the Palestinians and threatened Israel in the Israel-Hamas war. The Iran-backed group’s slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory to Islam.”
Iran has repeatedly warned that Israel could face greater threats if it does not halt its war against Gaza terrorists, which was launched after the Hamas terror attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians became.
Agencies, Gianluca Pacchiani and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.