Yemen’s Houthi claim drone launch against southern Israel

Houthi rebels from Yemen have announced that they have launched a drone attack towards Israel's southern city of Eilat as a form of "retaliation" for the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Israel military officials stated that they successfully destroyed an unidentified "aerial target" above the Red Sea on Tuesday morning. 

A few hours later, an official from the Houthi group informed the AFP news agency that the Iran-supported Yemeni organization had dispatched drones in the direction of southern Israel. 

“These drones belong to the state of Yemen,” Abdelaziz bin Habtour, prime minister of the Houthi government, said.

As tensions escalate during the Israel-Gaza war, the Israeli military announced that it had successfully intercepted and destroyed a flying object that was approaching Israeli airspace. 

The incident led to the activation of air raid alerts in the renowned tourist destination of Eilat, situated near the Red Sea, causing residents to hurriedly seek refuge. 

After an initial warning of a possible “hostile aircraft intrusion”, the military said in a statement, its “systems identified an aerial target approaching Israeli territory”.

“There was no threat or risk to civilians,” it added.

The origin of the suspected drone was not confirmed in the statement, although local media reports indicated that it might have originated from northern Yemen, which is under the control of the Houthis with support from Iran. 

“This is a concern for Israel because it is already engaged in conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah on its northern front,” Sara Khairat, an Al Jazeera correspondent, reported from the occupied East Jerusalem. 

Explosions rocked the Egyptian Red Sea towns of Taba and Nuweiba, near the Israeli border, on October 27, and drones were identified as the cause. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs attributed the attack to the Iran-backed Houthis, alleging their intention was to harm Israel.

These incidents followed closely after Hamas, the governing body of the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for launching a rocket towards Eilat. The rocket, however, landed in an unpopulated area, as confirmed by the Israeli military.

Additionally, in the previous week, the US military reported intercepting projectiles launched by the Houthis towards Israel. The interception took place in the northern Red Sea, with a navy warship successfully preventing the potential threat. 

Following Hamas' unexpected attack on Israel on October 7, regional tensions have escalated. Hezbollah has subsequently engaged in intensified exchanges of cross-border fire with Israel. Iran has vehemently denied any involvement in the Hamas attack.

Simultaneously, Israel has undertaken more extensive air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip in recent days, where the relentless bombardment has persisted for over three weeks.

According to officials in Gaza, the death toll from Israel's air attacks exceeds 8,000 Palestinians, while Israeli authorities report a death toll exceeding 1,400 in Israel. 

According to Al Jazeera says -