Israeli forces say they intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Houthi militants in Yemen targeting the southern city of Eilat, in retaliation for a series of strikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.
The Houthi military spokesperson, Brig Gen Yahya Saree, said the militants fired multiple ballistic missiles towards Eilat and targeted an American ship in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, calling both attempts “successful”.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its long-range Arrow 3 missile defence system intercepted the missiles directed at Eilat early on Sunday morning outside Israeli airspace, but sirens sounded as a warning to local people about possible falling shrapnel.
The attempted strikes on the port city follow a barrage of Israeli airstrikes targeting oil facilities and a power station near Hodeidah, which Saree said killed three people, wounded 87 and left columns of smoke and fire towering over the port facilities.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel selected the targets in Hodeidah as the port was used for “military purposes”.
“They used this weapon to attack Israel, to attack the countries of the region, to attack an international shipping lane, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world,” he said after the strikes.
The targeting of Hodeidah’s port facilities sparked fears for the provision of international aid into Yemen, where millions are facing starvation and an estimated 18.2 million people are in need of humanitarian relief according to the EU.
The UN development programme has previously described Hodeidah port as “critical to the delivery of food and humanitarian assistance”.
Saudi Arabian authorities said following the strikes the country had no involvement in the attack, and declined to allow its airspace to be used for the attacks despite a continuing conflict with Houthi militants.
Israeli forces struck Hodeidah in response to a rare drone attack on Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday morning, which killed one man and injured 10 others. While the Houthis hailed the assault as a success due to their developing drone capacity, Israeli authorities blamed “human error” for leaving a gap in air defences.
The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks as long as the Israeli assault on Gaza continues. Israeli strikes on the territory have killed more than 38,000 people in almost 10 months of war, the longest in the country’s history.
The group’s attacks on global shipping routes in the Red Sea have also caused serious disruptions to trade, forcing ships to take alternative routes away from Eilat and collapsing business in the port.
Netanyahu remains under increasing pressure at home, including from the Israeli public and his own military top brass, to agree a ceasefire deal that would release some of the estimated 116 hostages still held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and a pause in fighting.
The Israeli prime minister reportedly met negotiators before flying to Washington where he is expected to meet Joe Biden and address Congress this week.
Observers hope Netanyahu’s US trip will also provide a pathway to cool tensions in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, where the IDF is battling Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, and avert a regional war.
Rocket and drone attacks striking northern Israel have increased in recent days, while about 200,000 people are estimated to be displaced on both sides of the “blue line” that marks the border.
Shortly before Netanyahu’s departure, a wildfire raged in the occupied Golan Heights after fragments of an Israeli interceptor fell near kibbutz Snir.
