JERUSALEM/SANAA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Israel intercepted a missile launched by Yemen's Houthi militia on Tuesday, shortly after it thwarted a drone attack near Israel's southernmost Red Sea city of Eilat, which the Yemeni group has also claimed responsibility for.
Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed on the social media platform X that a surface-to-surface missile was fired toward Israeli territory from the Red Sea and was successfully intercepted by the long-range anti-missile Arrow system.
Earlier in the day, Israel intercepted a drone over the Red Sea that triggered air raid sirens in Eilat.
Both the drone and the missile were "intercepted outside Israeli territory. No infiltrations were identified," Hagari noted.
Also on Tuesday, Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for long-range missiles and drones launched towards Israel, in a move supporting the Gaza Strip currently under Israeli attacks.
"We launched a large batch of ballistic and winged missiles and a large number of drones at various targets," the group's military spokesman, Yehya Sarea, said in a televised statement.
"We affirm that this is the third operation in support of our oppressed brothers in Palestine," Sarea said in the statement aired by the group's al-Masirah TV, referring to the attack on Eilat.
Earlier this week, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV cited Egypt's military as saying in a statement that a missile had landed on the Egyptian border, fired from the south of the Red Sea.
Last week, the Pentagon said a U.S. Navy destroyer in the northern part of the Red Sea intercepted three missiles and several bomb-laden drones launched by the Houthis in Yemen toward Israel.
Also last week, Saudi Arabia reportedly intercepted a missile fired from the south of the Red Sea.
The Houthis have since remained silent until their announcement today.
Just a few days after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli border towns on Oct. 7, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi made a clear threat that his group would rain Israel with long-range missiles if the U.S. intervened to support Israel against Hamas.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia controls much of Yemen's north, including the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah since the Yemeni civil war erupted in late 2014. ■
