Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. warships in the Red Sea on Friday. The Houthis stated that they targeted the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon, as well as three U.S. Navy destroyers, in an apparent show of support for Palestinians in Gaza and Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that a surface-to-surface ballistic missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow 3 air defense system outside the country’s borders. Sirens were activated across central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as a precaution against falling shrapnel from the interception. There were no reports of direct impacts, the Magen David Adom ambulance services reported that a 17-year-old girl was moderately injured by a car while seeking shelter, and another 17 people sustained minor injuries due to falls or anxiety during the incident.
This is not Afghanistan, Iraq or Yemen
The heart of Israel is Tel Aviv, which is under fire and destruction#Hezbullah#TelAviv pic.twitter.com/3GY0T6Ok2p— محمدرضا گلمحمدی (@GOL_313) August 3, 2024
The Arrow 3 system, specifically designed to intercept ballistic missiles in the exoatmosphere, successfully neutralized the threat, and no drones were confirmed to have reached Israeli airspace. The IDF reassured the public that no new safety instructions were issued following the interception, and the attack did not result in any damage within Israel’s territory.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, claimed responsibility for the attack in a televised statement, announcing that the group had fired a ballistic missile at a military target in Tel Aviv and launched a drone toward a “vital target” in Ashkelon. He warned that the Houthis would continue military operations against Israel as a demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Saree declared that such actions would persist “until the Israeli aggression on Gaza and Lebanon stops”.
The Houthis’ attack came shortly after an Israeli airstrike killed senior Hezbollah leader Mohammed Srur in Lebanon. Srur, described as an adviser to the Houthis and involved in their aerial forces, had been training Houthi militants.
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