Israel intercepts a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis from Yemen

The Israeli army announced this morning, Sunday, the interception of a missile launched from Yemen, in a new attack carried out by the Houthi group, which has recently intensified its missile and drone strikes towards Israeli territories.

In an official statement, the Israeli army said:

"After the alarm sirens sounded a short while ago in several areas of Israel, the Israeli Air Force was able to intercept a missile launched from Yemen."

The region is witnessing a noticeable escalation in the pace of attacks, as the Houthi group has begun using drones and ballistic missiles to target Israeli cities, while Tel Aviv responds with airstrikes targeting vital facilities in Houthi-controlled areas, including ports, power stations, and Sana'a International Airport.

In a related context, the Israeli army announced last Wednesday the interception of a Houthi drone in the airspace of the city of Eilat in the south of the country, without activating the alarm sirens at the time.

The official Israeli broadcasting authority confirmed that:

"A fighter jet belonging to the Israeli Air Force shot down a Houthi drone that had launched from Yemen, before entering the airspace of the city of Eilat."

This is not the first time the city located on the Red Sea has been targeted, as a serious incident occurred on September 24, when a Houthi drone fell near a hotel in Eilat, resulting in 50 injuries, including 3 serious cases, after the Israeli army failed to intercept it.

An investigation by the Israeli Air Force revealed that attempts to intercept that drone using the Iron Dome system were unsuccessful.

The report stated that:

"The drone was lost from tracking systems at a certain stage and directly hit the hotel area in Eilat."

The investigation clarified that the drone came at a low altitude and slow speed, making it more difficult to detect and deal with, confirming that it was detected relatively late.

In a related context, the European Union condemned another Houthi attack that targeted a Dutch cargo ship, in an additional escalation of the operations carried out by the group against civilian and military targets in the region.

The recent attacks place the region in front of a complex scene of military escalation, amid international warnings of the Yemeni arena turning into an open platform for launching long-range attacks on Israel, in light of continued Iranian support for the Houthis and the growing technological capabilities in the field of drones and precision missiles.