Intercepting a Drone Attack from Iraq to Israel; Syrian Port of Baniyas Targeted

Israel announced that it intercepted a drone attack from Iraqi airspace aimed at the country. Simultaneously, Houthi forces allied with the Islamic Republic of Iran claimed a joint drone attack with Iraqi militia groups on the port of Eilat. The Syrian army also reported an attack on the coastal section of the city of Baniyas in the early hours of Tuesday, July 9. According to Israeli media, the army targeted and destroyed an attacking drone that was moving from Iraq to target Israel from the east. An Israeli army spokesperson stated that the drone was destroyed before entering Israeli airspace, hence the alarm sirens in the port did not sound. Thousands of people evacuated from northern Israel in the past nine months have been housed in hotels in the southern port of Eilat. According to Yedioth Ahronoth, this was the second drone attack from Iraq towards Israel in two consecutive days. Allies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Iraq have intensified their attacks on Israel amid the Israeli army's war in Gaza. The 'Islamic Resistance Group of Iraq' claimed responsibility for the recent drone launches towards Israel, asserting an attack on a 'vital target' in the southern port of Eilat. Similar claims by this group in recent months regarding inflicting damage on Israel have contradicted field realities. The Houthis of Yemen announced on Monday the start of practical cooperation with Iraqi militias in the attack on Eilat. Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for the Houthi military branch, stated that the drones of this joint operation were fired towards the vicinity of the port of Eilat on Monday. Meanwhile, the Syrian army announced that an attack occurred from the Mediterranean Sea towards the west of the port of Baniyas early Tuesday, which did not result in casualties but caused damage. Baniyas is located in the Tartus province of Syria along the Mediterranean coast. Regional Arab media attributed this attack to Israel, describing it as a continuation of Israeli strikes on Iranian-related targets in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors internal developments in Syria from Britain, reported hearing loud explosions in Baniyas. According to this anti-Assad organization, Iranian ships directly enter the port of Baniyas. Some unconfirmed reports in the region indicated that two Iranian ships were approaching the port of Latakia, Syria, at the time of the attack. Latakia is located 42 kilometers north of Baniyas on the Mediterranean coast. Throughout the ongoing war of the Israeli army in Gaza against the extremist group Hamas, Israeli attributed attacks in Syria have continued, the most notable being the April attack on a building in Damascus, which Iran claimed was its consulate, where Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria, was killed. However, it appears that the frequency of Israeli attacks in Syria has decreased compared to previous years. The Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Israel have stated that the country is effectively engaged on seven fronts related to the Islamic Republic of Iran, including from Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iran itself. Hezbollah has conditioned the cessation of attacks on Israel over the past nine months to the end of the Gaza war. However, the Houthis and 'Islamic Resistance' groups in Iraq have not mentioned similar conditions for halting attacks on Israel.