Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim responsibility for cruise missile strike in Israel
Yemen’s Houthis have taken responsibility for firing a cruise missile that landed in an open area of Israel, marking the first time a projectile launched by the Iran-backed group struck the Jewish nation.
A spokesperson for the terrorist group announced Tuesday that they had targeted the Israeli port city of Eilat with winged missiles the prior day, WION reported.
The Israeli Defense Forces also confirmed Tuesday it tracked a “suspicious aerial target,” which it later confirmed was a cruise missile, according to the Times of Israel.
The missile landed in an “open area north of Eilat,” the IDF claimed.
Footage shared online showed the missile sending fire and sparks flying in an open field near the southern port.
No damage or injuries were reported, and Israeli forces say the missile was tracked by the Air Force throughout the incident.
The Israeli Defense Forces says it is now investigating the attack, according to the Times of Israel.
Prior to the attack on Monday, all of the missiles Houthis have launched were intercepted by American coalition forces, the IDF or neighboring countries like Jordan, according to WION.
But the Houthis have vowed in recent days to escalate their attacks.
It also targeted a fuel tanker in the Red Sea with naval missiles, spokesman Yahya Saree said in a prerecorded message on Tuesday.
The group took aim at a liquefied petroleum gas tanker that was headed to Singapore from Saudi Arabia on March 15 and March 17.
The Houthis described the tanker as being American, but Equasis’s shipping database indicates it is instead owned by Naftomar Shipping and Trading Co. Ltd. of Greece.
Fortunately, both attacks missed the intended target, causing no damage or injuries.
The Houthis, which control most of Yemen, have been repeatedly launching drones and missiles at ships in the Red Sea since mid-November, claiming they were supporting Israel.
But many of the attacks have been on simple cargo ships passing through the area, forcing firms to take longer and more expensive journeys through Africa.
In an effort to stop the attacks, the US and the United Kingdom have carried out a series of strikes against Houthi targets.
The efforts, though, have only seemed to inflame the terrorist group — which now says it will expand its targeting of ships to those passing through the Indian Ocean as it starts training for a possible US-UK invasion, The Sun reported.
Footage released by Yemeni media showed Houthi forces carrying out military drills that simulated a violent and widespread confrontation against enemy forces that landed in Yemen, according to the UK outlet.
As part of the exercise, the group succeeded in luring Americans and Brits into large minefields, where dozens would be killed, the Sun reports.
“We cannot meet the American and British enemy with roses, but rather we will meet them with killing and abuse,” Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Council, said in televised remarks following the completion of the wargame.
“As you saw in the ‘Great Maneuver,’ that is a manifestation of the purpose of confronting the arrogant enemy.”
With Post wires
