Israeli Army Says Intercepts Cruise Missile Fired at South of Country

The Israeli military on Wednesday said it intercepted a cruise missile fired towards the south of the country.

After reports of “an infiltration by a hostile aircraft” near the southern Red Sea resort of Eilat, an Israeli fighter jet “successfully intercepted a cruise missile that was launched toward Israel,” it said in a statement.

“No infiltration into Israeli territory was identified,” the military added.

#UPDATE The Israeli military on Wednesday said one of its fighter jets "successfully intercepted" a cruise missile fired towards the south of the country ➡️ https://t.co/4on3DN7Q6C pic.twitter.com/mFPidh519w

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 22, 2023

Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have declared themselves part of the “axis of resistance” of Iran’s allies and proxies, have fired a series of drones and missiles towards Israel since the Gaza war erupted on October 7 when Hamas militants carried out the worst attack in Israel’s 75-year history.

On October 20, a US Navy ship in the Red Sea shot down three missiles and several drones fired by Houthi rebels in an attack which the Pentagon said was likely aimed at Israel.

On November 9, the Israeli military said its Arrow 3 missile defense system had for the first time destroyed a “target” heading towards Israel from the Red Sea, shortly after Houthi rebels confirmed said they had fired “a barrage of ballistic missiles” at southern Israel.

And on Sunday, the rebels said they had seized the Galaxy Leader, an Israel-linked cargo vessel in what they said was retaliation for Israel’s Gaza war.

The conflict was sparked by the October 7 attacks when Hamas militants stormed over the border, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run government says more than 14,000 people have been killed in Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground operations in Gaza, two thirds of them women and children.