Israeli fighter jet intercepts cruise missiles launched towards the south of the country
The Israeli army today intercepted a cruise missile launched towards the south of the country, the Israeli army said.
Following reports of “an infiltration by a hostile aircraft” near the southern Red Sea resort of Eilat, an Israeli fighter jet “successfully intercepted a cruise missile launched towards Israel,” the IDF said in a statement.
“No infiltration into Israeli territory was observed,” it added.
Eilat has previously been targeted by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, with the group declaring itself part of the “axis of resistance” of Iran’s allies and allies, and its leader pledging to halt attacks on Jewish able to continue.
Iranian-backed armed groups across the Middle East are involved in the war sparked by the Hamas terror group and the October 7 attack on southern Israel, in which gunmen killed about 1,200 people.
The Israeli army today intercepted a cruise missile launched towards the south of the country, the Israeli army said. It is suspected to have been fired from Yemen and its Houthi rebel group
Israel has responded with an intense air and ground war that has leveled large parts of Gaza and claimed more than 14,000 lives, according to the Hamas government, as Gaza’s 2.4 million residents endure a heavy siege.
The Lebanese Hezbollah has exchanged daily fire with Israel along the border and the Houthi rebels have launched drones and missiles towards Israel.
On October 20, a US Navy ship shot down three missiles and several drones fired by Huthis in the Red Sea in an attack the Pentagon said was likely against Israel.
And on November 9, the Israeli military said its Arrow 3 missile defense system had for the first time destroyed a “target” moving towards Israel from the Red Sea.
This was shortly after Huthi rebels confirmed they had fired ‘a barrage of ballistic missiles’ into southern Israel.
And on Sunday, the rebels said they had seized the Galaxy Leader, an Israel-linked cargo ship, in retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza.
Such attacks have raised fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.
There was no immediate confirmation that today’s attack came from Yemen, which is about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from Israel and separated by Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The Houthis released dramatic footage (pictured) on Monday showing heavily armed men falling from a helicopter and seizing the cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.
However, the two countries are connected via the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, with a major shipping route leading from Eilat past Yemen to the Arabian Sea.
The Huthi rebels said their capture of the Galaxy Leader ship in the Red Sea last weekend was in retaliation for Israel’s war against Hamas.
News of the interception came as a ceasefire agreement between the terror group Hamas and Israel was confirmed by both sides.
The first ceasefire in a brutal seven-week war will last at least four days, allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip and see at least 50 hostages captured by the terror group on October 7 in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.