A cruise missile launched by Houthi terrorists from Yemen overnight Monday hit an open area near the Red Sea resort city of Eilat, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Tuesday evening.
The incident marked the first time that a Houthi missile was able to penetrate Israeli territory. In previous attacks, IDF air defenses managed to shoot down the projectiles in the Red Sea.
The IDF said it was examining the missile impact, which did not cause any injuries or damage. According to the military, the Israeli Air Force followed the missile’s trajectory the entire time.
Since declaring their support for Hamas terrorists in their current war against Israel, Yemen’s Houthis have launched many missiles and drones towards the Jewish state.
The Iran-backed Houthis also continue to attack international commercial shipping off the coast of Yemen.
The Houthis’ decision to target commercial vessels in the Red Sea was made in light “of what the Gaza Strip is being exposed to from the brutal Israeli-American aggression,” the group said last year.
Israel has bolstered its naval presence in the Red Sea area in response to the attacks. Missile boats were deployed “as part of the increased defense efforts in the region,” the IDF said.
On Nov. 9, Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Eilat, which was intercepted by an Arrow 3 exoatmospheric hypersonic anti-ballistic missile, in the air-defense system’s first operational use.
That same day, a drone launched from Syria caused a large explosion at an elementary school in Eilat, injuring one civilian. The IDF struck assets in Syria in response but did not specify which organization was behind the UAV attack or what targets were hit in Syria.
A week earlier, Israel’s Arrow 2 air-defense system for the first time intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired from the Red Sea area.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that the Eilat Port, which gives Israel a gateway to the East without the need to navigate the Suez Canal, announced its intention to fire half its 120 employees.
The port, which mainly handles car imports and potash exports, was hit hard by the Red Sea crisis, the wire agency said.
