Israel intercepts ballistic missile from Yemen, shot in retaliation for IDF strike on Houthi port

Escalating attacks by Houthi rebels highlights Iranian role in regional conflict

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The IDF reported the interception of a ballistic missile approaching Israeli territory from Yemen on Sunday.

Residents of the southern Israeli city of Eilat residents reported hearing air raid sirens, while a video posted to social media showed the Arrow 3 defense missile launching to intercept the incoming missile outside of Israeli airspace.

טיל ששוגר לכיוון אילת יורט על ידי מערכת חץ מחוץ לשטח ישראל | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/qx7ZoSHfUc @Itsik_zuarets (צילום: אלון וייס, קיבוץ יטבתה) pic.twitter.com/bQfjwmMccY
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 21, 2024

The missile launch was the first attack on Eilat since the IDF's dramatic strike against the Hodeidah port in Yemen on Saturday.

Eilat has been targeted frequently by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group since the war in Gaza began last October.

On Saturday night, following reports online of explosions near Eilat, the IDF released a statement.

“A short while ago, reports were received regarding explosions heard in the area of Eilat. It was found that no projectiles were fired toward the area of the city and no interceptor was launched.”

Earlier on Saturday, Israel responded with a retaliatory strike, targeting Hodeidah port after one Israeli was killed and eight others wounded by a Houthi-launched drone in Tel Aviv.

The drone used in the attack was reportedly made using Iranian-supplied weapons, and Hodeidah port is allegedly a main entry point for Iranian supplies to the rebel group.

The Houthi rebel group has launched around 200 missiles and drones against Israel since October. The majority of those launches were targeting Eilat and were intercepted by Israel or by U.S. forces patrolling the southern Red Sea region.

During the strike on Hodeida on Saturday, Israel sent a warning to Tehran, with one Israeli official noting: “This is an attack that is 200 kilometers further from Israel than Tehran.”

Besides being the Houthi terror group's main supporter, the Iranian regime also supplies weapons and finances to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon.

Israel has been engaged in a steady cross-border fire exchange since the start of the Gaza War.

Over the weekend, Hezbollah, along with Hamas elements in southern Lebanon, launched over 100 rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of several Hezbollah terrorists on Friday.

The large volume of rocket fire from the terror groups in southern Lebanon caused significant devastation to forests and agricultural land in northern Israel, especially due to the hot, dry summer months.

Security analysts believe that Israel may launch a large-scale operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon after the end of the Gaza War. Hezbollah has increasingly threatened Israel, and its positioning of rocket launchers and mortars near the border, with Israel is seen as a significant threat to Israel’s northern communities.

More than 60,000 Israeli residents have been evacuated from homes in Israel’s northern communities due to attacks by Hezbollah since Oct. 7.