Intercepting Houthi Missiles Over Israel; Claim of Attack on Three US Destroyers in the Red Sea

The Israeli army announced that it intercepted and destroyed a long-range ground-to-ground ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels from Yemen towards central Israel early on Friday, October 6. The interception was carried out using the "Khetz" ("Arrow") air defense system above the atmosphere and before entering Israeli airspace. The approach of the Houthi missile triggered an imminent attack warning siren at 12:40 AM in Tel Aviv and surrounding cities in the densely populated area known as "Gush Dan." Israeli emergency services reported that several people sustained minor injuries due to rushing to shelters. Fragments of the "Khetz" missile that destroyed the Houthi missile were observed hours later in the "Nof Ayalon" area in central Israel. The Houthis stated that they fired the missile at Israel in response to the death of Mohammad Hussein Sarour, the commander of Hezbollah's drone unit, who was killed in a targeted Israeli attack on a building in "Dahiyeh," in southern Beirut, on Thursday night. Regional media reported that Mohammad Hussein Sarour had been the chief coordinator of Houthi drone operations for years and had returned to Beirut three days before his death. On Friday evening, Houthi militants also claimed to have targeted the cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon in Israel with a ballistic missile and a drone in support of Gaza and Lebanon. Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthis, claimed in a televised statement that these two operations were successfully carried out without providing details. He also stated that the group's attacks would continue and intensify in the coming days until what he referred to as "Israeli aggression" against Gaza and Lebanon ceased. Separately, the Houthis claimed to have attacked three US destroyers, stating that they fired 23 ballistic and cruise missiles and one drone at the three US destroyers supporting Israel in the Red Sea. The US military has not yet commented on this claim. On September 25, the Houthis also fired another ballistic missile towards central Israel, which was intercepted by the "Khetz" system. Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Houthis would pay a "heavy price" for this attack. However, Israeli media reported that Israel's engagement with militant groups on multiple fronts has apparently deterred it from responding to this attack for now. Israeli media also reported that the missile used by the Houthis for the early morning attack on October 6 was of Iranian manufacture, although the Houthis claim their missiles are domestically produced. The Houthis have intensified their attacks on Israel in parallel with attacks on global commercial vessels in the waterways of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and surrounding areas. The missile attack on central Israel early Friday was the second such action by Iranian proxy groups in less than three days. On Wednesday morning, Hezbollah fired a "Qadir 1" ballistic missile towards Israel for the first time in over 40 years of conflict with Israel, which was intercepted and destroyed by the "David's Sling" defense system. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu's office expressed gratitude for US efforts to establish a ceasefire at the border with Lebanon. The statement added that Israeli and US officials met to discuss a ceasefire proposal at Israel's northern borders, and these discussions would continue in the coming days. The statement also confirmed that the US had shared a ceasefire proposal it had prepared with other countries with Israel earlier this week, and Israel is a partner in this goal, which aims to allow residents of the north to return home. Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday upon arriving in New York for the annual UN General Assembly meeting that news of an imminent ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was "false" and that Israel's battle with Hezbollah would continue "with full force" based on plans provided by the military, and "the battle in Gaza will continue until all war objectives are achieved." Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that dozens of rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards the city of Tiberias on the shore of the lake of the same name on Friday morning. The mayor of Tiberias reported that at least one of the rockets landed in the lake, 20 meters from the shore, and since the municipality had closed the lake's beaches due to the escalation of the crisis with Hezbollah, it "miraculously" caused no damage. The Israeli army also announced on Friday morning that it had identified and intercepted at least ten rockets fired from Lebanon towards the airspace of Haifa port and surrounding cities. The army added that several rockets that were identified posed no threat and landed in open areas. The director-general of the "MADA" emergency center in Haifa reported the landing of fragments of the Iron Dome's missiles that had intercepted Hezbollah's rockets. Hezbollah had not targeted Haifa port since the escalation of the crisis but had targeted "Kiryat Bialik," which is close to Haifa, with rocket fire. Groups of "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" also stated on Friday morning that they had fired a drone and missile towards the Golan Heights in northern Israel. Israel has not yet confirmed or denied this. Pro-Hezbollah media in Lebanon reported that the Israeli army attacked targets in 14 villages in southern Lebanon from Thursday night to Friday morning. The Lebanese government reported 115 Israeli operations in the country on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of 60 people and injuries to 81 others. The Lebanese Ministry of Health stated that since the beginning of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict (since October 16 last year), 1,540 people have been killed in Lebanon, 5,410 injured, and the number of displaced persons had reached 77,100 by Wednesday, October 5. The Lebanese disaster management unit did not separate the killed militants from civilians. Hezbollah has stopped updating its casualty figures, which it had been reporting regularly until last week. Abdullah Bouhabib, Lebanon's foreign minister, stated on Thursday night at the UN General Assembly in New York that the Beirut government seeks the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. This resolution, which ended the 34-day war between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in 2006, mandated Hezbollah and other militant groups in Lebanon to have no forces or equipment below the Litani River line in Lebanon. Hezbollah and many armed Palestinian groups did not implement this resolution. Its implementation is also a demand of Israel to push Hezbollah forces away from Israel's northern border. Israel insists that the UN peacekeeping forces stationed in southern Lebanon have not fulfilled their duties regarding the implementation of Resolution 1701. Hezbollah entered military operations against Israel to support the extremist group Hamas since the beginning of the Gaza war. The Israeli government has intensified its operations against Hezbollah since the middle of last week to compel Hezbollah to cease its offensive operations. Nevertheless, Israeli attacks have so far excluded Beirut and have only targeted senior Hezbollah leaders in the Shiite-populated Dahiyeh area, which is further south from Beirut.