The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed that they carried out a “joint drone operation” against Israel, working with Iranian-backed groups in Iraq.
They claimed to have carried out the operation against an “important Israeli position in the occupied Palestinian territories.” The IDF intercepted threats coming from the Red Sea on the morning of July 8 and also another threat coming from the East in the morning of July 9.
The report of the Houthi claims was released via Iranian state media and also the Houthi media in Yemen. Al-Masirah news network reported that Yehya Saree, the spokesman of the Houthis “announced on Monday night the country’s forces together with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched a drone attack on the occupied port city of Umm al-Rashrash – also known as Eilat – in response to the Zionist regime’s crimes against the people of Gaza,” the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Iranian state media report said.
The report went on to note that the Houthi spokesman said the “drones successfully hit their targets.” Furthermore, “the spokesman emphasized that the joint military operation will continue until the Zionist regime stops its bloodshed and ends its blockade on Gaza.” The Iraqi-based “Islamic Resistance,” which is a front group for pro-Iranian militias, also put out a statement that said they would continue to target Israel.
The Houthis have been targeting Eilat since October and they have targeted dozens of ships seeking to transit the Red Sea. They have sunk several ships and have extended the range of their drones, missiles, and kamikaze drone boats in recent months.
In contrast to the Houthis, the Iraqi militias began their attacks in October by attacking US forces in Iraq and Syria. They carried out more than 100 attacks and then escalated the aggression by killing three US soldiers in Jordan in January. The groups also targeted Israel with drones, however, their attacks have been mostly unsuccessful. Several drones flown by the Iraqi militias have targeted Eilat and one of them struck a hangar in Eilat in April.
Heightened tensions in the region
The IRNA reports claimed that “the Yemeni and Iraqi resistance groups have carried out several such operations in recent weeks targeting vital Israeli position in the occupied territories using drones and rockets. The [Houthi] army first began its naval operation against Zionist ships and put a ban on other vessels heading to ports in occupied territories. Dozens of ships, including those from the US and the West have been targeted in the Red and Arabian seas for breaching the ban.”
The IDF said at four in the morning on July 9 that “a short while ago, a suspicious aerial target that approached southern Israel from the East was successfully intercepted by an IDF fighter jet. The target did not cross into Israeli territory and no sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
At three in the morning on July 8 the IDF also said that “a short while ago, a suspicious aerial target that approached Israeli territory from the area of the Red Sea was successfully intercepted by an IDF fighter jet. The target did not cross into Israeli territory and no sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.” It is not clear if these statements relate to the Houthi and Iraqi militia claims, although it appears that they do.