Houthis Claim to Have Fired Missiles and Drones at Israel; Israel: We Intercepted Two Air Threats

The Houthis of Yemen, supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, claim to have fired ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel. According to Reuters, the Houthis stated on Tuesday that they launched a 'large number' of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel. A military spokesperson for the group, backed by the Islamic Republic, said in a televised statement that this is the third operation targeting Israel and that more attacks will follow in the future. The Iranian Foreign Minister recently claimed that the government has no proxy groups in the region; however, the Houthis and others have repeatedly used Iranian-made weapons. The increase in attacks by groups supported by the Islamic Republic against American and Israeli forces raises the risk of an escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas. Earlier, Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Israeli army stated it used the 'Arrow' air defense system for the first time since the beginning of the war with Hamas on October 6 to intercept a ground-to-ground missile fired towards its territory near the Red Sea. Air raid sirens also sounded in a separate incident on Tuesday in the resort area of Eilat on the Red Sea, and the Israeli army announced that it had shot down an 'approaching air target.' The Israeli army stated that 'there was no threat or danger to civilians' and successfully dealt with this threat. A military spokesperson told Reuters that these two air threats were separate from each other. Last week, Israel accused the Iran-aligned Houthi movement of launching drones that caused explosions in two cities in Egypt near the Red Sea, claiming they intended to attack Israel but the drones exploded in Egypt. The Pentagon stated that a U.S. Navy warship intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones launched by the Houthis from Yemen that were potentially aimed at Israel on October 19. The leader of the Houthis previously stated that if the U.S. intervenes directly in the Gaza conflict, the group will respond with drone and missile strikes and will consider other military options.