DUBAI: Yemen’s Houthi group launched several ballistic missiles at military posts in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, the group’s military spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
Earlier Wednesday, the Mason, a US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down a drone that originated from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group, a US official said.
There were no injuries or damage and it was not clear what the drone was targeting.
It is the sixth time the US Navy has fired upon drones in the southern Red Sea since war broke out between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7 and comes amid a series of attacks on commercial vessels in Middle Eastern waters.
The Houthi group’s statement said it would continue to “carry out their military operations against the Israeli enemy, as well as implementing the decision to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Arab and Red Seas in support of the oppressed Palestinian people.”
The Houthis, an ally of Tehran, have been launching long-range missile and drone salvoes at Israel and Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas militants fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Wednesday, Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency and British maritime security company Ambrey reported an incident involving a suspected drone over the Red Sea west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
UKMTO warned vessels transiting the area to exercise caution.
The US military said on Sunday that three commercial vessels had come under attack in the southern Red Sea.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon said the waves of attacks by the Houthi group in Yemen may not be targeting US warships, even though the US Navy has responded by shooting down drone aircraft and missiles.
Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday claimed drone and missile attacks on two Israeli vessels in the area, saying in a broadcast that the attacks came in response to the demands of Yemenis and calls from Muslim countries to stand with the Palestinian people.
Yemen’s Houthis say they launched ballistic missiles at Israel
https://arab.news/v9j5s
Yemen’s Houthis say they launched ballistic missiles at Israel
- There were no injuries or damage and it was not clear what the drone was targeting
Syrian and Lebanese presidents discuss border security after Hezbollah strikes hit west Damascus
- Ahmad Al-Sharaa expresses Syria’s absolute support for Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm the Iran-backed militant group
LONDON: The Syrian president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, and his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun, discussed border security on Tuesday.
It came as Syria accused the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah of massing reinforcements close to the border, targeting army positions in Syria, and launching artillery shells from Lebanese territory that landed near the town of Serghaya, west of the capital Damascus.
During his conversation with Aoun, Al-Sharaa expressed his absolute support for the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Depriving the group of its weapons was a crucial step in efforts to strengthen the sovereignty of Lebanon and protect the region from the consequences of ongoing armed conflicts, he added.
The two leaders also emphasized the need for joint action to ensure the safety of the Syrian people.
Thousands of Syrians who fled to Lebanon to escape the 13-year civil war in their country have returned home since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, and the spread of the conflict to other parts of the Middle East.
Israel has launched strikes against Israel and several Arab countries in the region, while Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran which the UK and other nations consider a terrorist organization, has also fired into Israel.
Israeli forces have hit back against Hezbollah with strikes on southern Lebanon and southern Beirut, and its forces have occupied key areas south of the Litani River.
