Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
On Wednesday, the Houthi group escalated its military attacks against Israel, announcing a series of significant strikes targeting vital objectives, including Lod Airport, military facilities in the Negev, and the Port of Eilat (Umm al-Rashrash).
The group’s military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, stated that their missile force carried out a ballistic operation targeting Lod Airport in “occupied Jaffa” with a long-range “Zulfiqar” missile, indicating that the operation precisely hit its target.
Saree also revealed three simultaneous drone operations involving four unmanned aerial vehicles. These targeted a military objective in the Negev region, Lod Airport, and the Port of Eilat. He affirmed that “the strikes successfully achieved their objectives,” without providing further details on the extent of damages.
Missile from Yemen Triggers Sirens in Israel
In response, the Israeli military announced on Wednesday evening that it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen. Military spokesman Avichay Adraee stated in a brief post on “X” that the missile caused sirens to activate in several areas, including the Dead Sea region.
Hebrew media confirmed that Israel’s Home Front Command activated alerts in central parts of the country, with no human casualties reported. The Houthi group did not issue any direct comment on this specific incident, despite announcing multiple attacks around the same time.
On Tuesday, Israeli air defenses intercepted a drone originating from Yemen, before the Houthi group announced a dual operation targeting the Port of Eilat and a military facility in the Negev. These operations are a continuation of a series of strikes carried out by the Houthis since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Eilat Port Nearing Closure
In a notable development, Israeli Channel 12 revealed that the Port of Eilat will cease operations starting next Sunday due to its inability to pay its debts. This is a direct result of a sharp decline in revenues caused by the Houthi-imposed maritime blockade in the Red Sea.
The channel indicated that the Eilat Municipality had seized all port accounts due to accumulated debts amounting to 10 million shekels (approximately $3 million) in unpaid taxes.
It added that shipping companies have opted to divert vessels to the ports of Ashdod and Haifa on the Mediterranean Sea, to avoid Houthi attacks on routes leading to the Red Sea.
The Houthi group targets Israeli-owned, Israeli-bound, or Israel-linked vessels as part of a maritime campaign. They state this campaign aims to “prevent logistical and military support to Tel Aviv” in protest of what they term “genocide” in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians since the outbreak of the war.
