Israel said it shot down a missile launched from Yemen on Sunday and the Yemeni Houthi movement said it had fired several missiles at the Israeli city of Eilat after Israel’s first public strike against the Iran-aligned group a day earlier.

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones at Israel and disrupted global trade through the Red Sea in response to Israel’s assault on Gaza, further destabilising the Middle East as war in the Palestinian enclave rages on after nine months.

Israel says the Houthis have launched 200 attacks against it since the Gaza war began, many of them intercepted and most of them not deadly.

But a rare Houthi drone strike on Friday hit Tel Aviv and killed one person, prompting Israel to announce its first strikes against the group on Saturday. The strikes by warplanes hit near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah and killed six people, local medics said.

The Houthi movement, known formally as Ansar Allah, said on Sunday it would continue to attack Israel in response.

Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam told Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV there would be “no red lines … all sensitive institutions … will be a target for us.”

The Israeli military said its Arrow 3 missile defence system had shot down a surface-to-surface missile projectile launched from Yemen on Sunday before it crossed into Israeli territory.

Before the interception, air raid sirens sounded in the Red Sea port city of Eilat, sending residents running for shelter.

Sunday’s attack prolonged an escalation of violence between Israel and the Houthis that began with the Houthi drone strike that hit the centre of Tel Aviv on Friday. One man was killed and four other people were wounded, officials said.

The Israeli warplanes’ air raid on Hodeidah on Saturday killed six people and wounded more than 80, medical sources in Yemen told Reuters, describing all as civilians.

Images from the scene showed a fiery blaze and dense smoke rising from the site of the strike. A Houthi-run TV channel said the strikes had hit an oil facility and power station.

Israeli officials say Hodeidah port has been used by the Houthis to receive weapons shipments from Iran.

PROXY BATTLE

The exchanges are part of a spillover from the Gaza war that has drawn in regional and world powers.

Iran-aligned groups including the Houthis have fired rockets and missiles at Israel saying they are doing so in support of Palestinians and the Islamist militant group Hamas that governs Gaza. The United States and its allies back Israel and provide weapons to it.

The war began on Oct. 7 after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel has since bombed and invaded Gaza as part of what it says is a campaign to eliminate Hamas, killing nearly 39,000 people, according to health officials in the enclave.

The Houthis, who control much of the north of Yemen and other large population centres, have previously claimed targeting Eilat and other attacks directed at Israel, saying they are acting in retaliation for Israel’s war on Gaza.

The group has also attacked Red Sea shipping routes for months.

Hamas’ allies include Iran-backed groups such as the Houthis, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iraqi paramilitaries.

The Houthi movement consists primarily of members a minority Shi’ite Muslim group in Yemen and has controlled the country’s capital, Sanaa, for years.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Israeli warplanes today struck targets around the Houthi-held Red Sea port of Yemen’s Hudaydah, retaliating for a drone attack on Tel Aviv by the Iran-backed rebels that killed a man and exposed a vulnerability in Israeli air defences. The rebels claimed that three people had been killed in the strikes, which triggered a raging fire and plumes of black smoke.

Called Operation ‘Outstretched Arm’, these strikes are the furthest from the Israel territory ever conducted by their Air Force, the country said. This is the first attack claimed by Israel in the Arabian peninsula’s poorest country.

“This operation struck targets 1,800 kilometres from our borders,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement. “It clarifies to our enemies that there is no place where the long arm of the State of Israel won’t reach.”

Explaining the strikes, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in a statement said that it struck targets around the Yemen port as it serves as an “entryway of Iranian weapons for the Houthi terrorist regime and as a significant economic source for them.”

“Over the past few months, the Houthis have been operating in order to destabilise the Middle East. The Houthi terror attacks are funded and directed by Iran, harming the maritime freedom in the area, regional ports, the Suez Canal and global trade as a whole,” the IDF added.

The Israeli strikes killed three people and wounded 87, the rebel-run health ministry said in a statement carried by Huthi media. The ministry said earlier that most of the wounded had severe burns.

Footage aired by the rebels’ Al-Masirah television showed casualties being treated in hospital, many of them bandaged and lying on stretchers in packed rooms.  

A man interviewed by the broadcaster said many of the wounded were port employees. “The city is dark, people are on the streets, petrol stations are closed and seeing long queues,” he said.

The Houthis started targeting Israel with drones and missiles shortly after the war between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza began in October. None of those attacks are believed to have caused significant damage in Israel until now, with most projectiles being intercepted or failing to reach the country.

Houthi rebels say they’re acting in solidarity with Palestinians and will continue the attacks until there’s a ceasefire in Gaza.

Dubai:

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday said they targeted two tankers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones after a British security agency reported several attacks in the troubled waterway.

In a statement on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree identified the two ships as BENTLEY I, a Panama-flagged oil tanker, and the CHIOS LION, a Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker.

The BENTLEY I was attacked with “drone boats, unmanned aerial vehicles, and ballistic missiles”, while the CHIOS LION was targeted with uncrewed surface vessels, Saree said.

They were targeted because their owners had used Israeli ports, according to the rebel spokesperson.

Earlier on Monday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported two separate incidents in the Red Sea.

A ship sailing southwest of the port city of Hodeidah came under attack from three small vessels, two of which had three people each on board, UKMTO said.

The third skiff was unmanned, according to the agency, which is run by Britain’s Royal Navy.

The “unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and the two manned small craft fired at the vessel”, UKMTO said.

“After 15 minutes, the small craft aborted the attack. The vessel and crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”

The same ship later reported four missiles exploding in “close proximity”, UKMTO said, adding that the strikes did not cause any injuries or damage.

British maritime security firm Ambrey also reported the attack, saying the merchant vessel had a private armed security team on board.

In a separate incident on Monday, an uncrewed surface vessel “impacted” a merchant vessel 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, UKMTO said.

The attack caused “some damage and light smoke”, it said, adding that “the vessel and crew are reported safe and proceeding to next port of call”.

Houthi drone and missile strikes have taken place despite the deployment of Western naval forces to protect ships in the Red Sea, a vital waterway for global trade.

Since January, the United States and Britain have carried out repeated retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

On Sunday, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed several Houthi drones.

“These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure,” it said in a post on social media platform X.

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Sanaa, Yemen:

The US-British coalition conducted four airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah province, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The strikes hit the Red Sea coastal district of Alluhayah, northwest of the province, al-Masirah TV reported on Saturday, without providing further information.

The US-British coalition has not commented on the airstrikes yet, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on Saturday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said it received a report of an incident 126 nautical miles east of Yemen’s Aden.

“The master of a merchant vessel reports explosions in the vicinity of the vessel. The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” the agency said on its account on social media platform X, without providing further details.

UKMTO DAILY SUMMARY 1600UTC 21 JUNE 24 to 1600UTC 22 JUNE 24https://t.co/lBGHDotJOT#MaritimeSecurity#MarSecpic.twitter.com/msQzfZWS2V

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) June 22, 2024

On Friday, the US-British coalition said its forces had destroyed four drone boats and two drone aircraft launched by the Houthis to the Red Sea.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, began in November last year to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea, to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the region has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group, prompting an expansion of Houthi attacks to include US and British commercial vessels and naval ships.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Dubai:

All ships heading to Israeli ports will be targeted by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and not just in the Red Sea region, the group’s leaded Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday.

The group has threatened to extend their attacks on ships heading to Israeli ports to the Mediterranean Sea, in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

Al-Houthi urged China, Russia, Asian and European countries to not transport goods to Israeli ports.

Houthis have previously said their main targets are Israel, and its allies the United States and Britain.

“Everyone must stop transporting to the occupied Palestinian ports… It is in the interest of all companies to stop transporting to the Israeli enemy towards the Mediterranean Sea or in any direction,” al-Houthi said.

Houthi attacks have raised the cost of shipping and insurance by disrupting a key trade route between Asia and Europe, forcing shipping firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dubai:

The leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Thursday the group would target ships of any company related to supplying or transporting goods to Israel regardless of their destination.

He said this was a fourth stage of escalation in retaliation to “the Israeli aggression on Rafah” in the southern Gaza Strip.

“From now on, we are also thinking about the fifth stage and the sixth stage, and we have very important, sensitive and influential choices on the enemies,” he added.

Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East.

The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Yemen:

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Monday they had exposed a “spy” network aiding the United States and Israel and arrested suspected members of it.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency published footage of the detained men, describing them as “spies recruited to collect information and monitor sites operated by the Yemeni (Houthi) armed forces on Yemen’s western coast for the benefit of the American and Israeli enemy”.

According to Saba, the group had been recruited after the Houthis in November began targeting vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, disrupting global trade in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The report did not specify the number of suspects arrested, but unverified images Saba shared on social media showed at least 18 people.

No evidence was provided to substantiate the charges, which Saba said the suspects had confessed to.

The Houthis, who control parts of war-torn Yemen, “will spare no effort in carrying out their responsibility to secure the home front and protect it from infiltration attempts by the American and Israeli enemy”, Saba said.

The United States in December announced a maritime security initiative to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks, which have forced commercial vessels to divert from the busy shipping lane, which normally carries 12 percent of global trade.

Since January the United States and Britain have launched repeated strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to their attacks on shipping.

The Houthi-run news agency said the suspects were tasked with monitoring anti-ship missile and drone launch sites and the locations of Houthi vessels, and submitting coordinates to facilitate strikes by the US as well as British forces.

The strikes have done little to deter the Houthis who have vowed to target Israeli, American and British vessels as well as all ships heading to Israeli ports.

On Friday, the Houthis threatened to extend their attacks into the Mediterranean Sea.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

US and allied forces shot down 15 one-way attack drones fired by Iran-backed Yemeni rebels into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Saturday, the US military said.

Shortly afterwards, the rebels claimed the attack, saying they had fired missiles at an “American” commercial ship and launched drones at US warships in “the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden”.

It was one of the Houthis’ largest attacks since they began in November a campaign of drone and missile strikes against vessels in the Red Sea area, vital for world trade, in professed solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

The US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said the “large-scale” Houthi attack occurred before dawn into the Red Sea and adjacent Gulf of Aden.

CENTCOM and coalition forces determined that the drones “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy and coalition ships in the region”.

It added, in a post on social media platform X, that “US Navy vessels and aircraft along with multiple coalition navy ships and aircraft shot down 15” of the drones.

“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, also on X, said the rebels had carried out two separate operations.

The first targeted the commercial vessel Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden, he said, calling it an “American” ship.

Vessel tracking websites describe the bulk carrier as Singapore-flagged but did not report its current position.

A second operation fired “37 drones” at “a number of American” warships, Saree said.

The United States in December announced a maritime security initiative to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks, which have forced commercial vessels to divert from the route that normally carries 12 percent of global trade.

The rebel strikes this week caused their first reported fatalities.

The Philippine government said two Filipino crew members were among those killed in a missile strike on the bulk carrier True Confidence.

On March 2, the first known vessel sinking from the strikes occurred when the Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated Rubymar went down in the Red Sea days after a rebel missile strike.

Since January the United States and Britain have also launched repeated strikes on Huthi targets in Yemen in response to the ship attacks, but the rebels have continued to attack merchant vessels and have also targeted American and British ships.

Yemen’s rebels control the capital Sanaa and much of the Red Sea coast, despite an earlier bombing campaign that a Saudi-led coalition began in 2015 and which continued for years.

On January 9, US and British forces shot down 18 drones and three missiles fired by the rebels toward ships in the Red Sea, the US military said at the time.

Britain said it was the largest attack to that point by the Houthis.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)