Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Israel deploys missile boats to Red Sea after Houthi attacks

The move follows repeated missile and drone attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Israeli Navy Red Sea
The Israel Defense Forces bolstered the Red Sea area with Navy missile boats, following repeated missile and drone attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, Nov. 1, 2023. Credit: IDF.

The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday bolstered the country’s naval presence in the Red Sea area following repeated missile and drone attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The IDF said that missile destroyers were deployed “in accordance with the assessment of the situation, and as part of the increased defense efforts in the region.”

On Tuesday, Israel’s Arrow air-defense system intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched at the Jewish state from the “Red Sea area.”

A spokesperson for Yemen’s Ansar Allah, the official title of the Houthi movement, confirmed the terror group had launched ballistic and cruise missiles at Israel, as well as drones.

Early on Wednesday, the IDF intercepted another incoming threat near Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.

The military has multiple layers of air defenses in the Red Sea area to defend against Houthi attacks.

On Friday, the IDF said that a fighter jet had intercepted an “aerial threat” over the Red Sea, which came hours after a drone attack on the Egyptian resort town of Taba in the Sinai Peninsula that wounded six people.

Also last week, the USS Carney, a U.S. Navy destroyer, shot down missiles and drones from Yemen that could have been aimed at Israel, the Pentagon said.

“In this political environment, he may be as reliable a supporter as possible that the Democratic caucus would sign off on for the position,” political science scholar Dan Schnur told JNS.
“Anyone who attempts to pose a threat or attack Israel will face devastating consequences,” said Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the global body.
“I think they’re much more susceptible to being targeted if a public official wants to target them, if a community wants to target them,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer told JNS.
Former justice minister Alan Shatter said Herbert Park Hotel declined the conference after asking about an IDF connection, and later released delegates’ rooms.