Yemen’s Houthi movement announced on Sunday that it had conducted two military operations, targeting locations in the Gulf of Aden and Eilat at the southern tip of Israel. This escalation follows recent Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the group targeted the Israeli ship MSC UNIFIC in the Gulf of Aden with ballistic missiles and drones. Concurrently, they attacked military targets in Eilat using drones. Saree emphasized that these actions were in retaliation for the Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis, which, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, resulted in the deaths of at least 90 Palestinians and injuries to 300 others.
In a related development, the US Central Command reported on Sunday that it had “destroyed two Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) over the Red Sea and one uncrewed surface vessel (USV) in the Red Sea,” as well as “one Houthi UAV in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.” The US Central Command explained that these systems were deemed to pose an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region.
Since November, the Iran-aligned Houthi group has been intensifying drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Houthis claim these actions are in solidarity with Palestinians affected by Israel’s war in Gaza. In dozens of attacks, they have sunk two vessels, seized another, and killed at least three seafarers.
This recent escalation underscores the growing regional instability and the potential for further conflict in the already volatile Middle East.