Israeli navy intercepts drone over Red Sea
The Israeli Navy has intercepted a drone fired toward Israel from the direction of the Red Sea, the Israel Defence Forces said on Sunday morning.
An Israeli Navy Saar-class corvette fires a C-Dome interceptori n a test of the missile defense system. Photo by the Ministry of Defense Spokesperson’s Office
Sirens sounded in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat and surrounding areas.
The drone, presumably launched by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, was shot down by an Israeli Navy Saar 4.5 missile corvette “outside the country’s borders.”
Following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Friday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Yemeni terror group vowed to take revenge.
“We will move towards escalation and developing our military performance,” al-Houthi said in televised remarks.
Since October, the Houthis have launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel.
The Houthis vowed in early December to target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea, regardless of its ownership. They have attacked or harassed numerous ships, hijacked the MV Galaxy Leader in November and are holding its crew of 25 hostage.
From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened ships in the Red Sea as they traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Straits, a narrow maritime choke point between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. The majority of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.
Expectations of an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon rose on Wednesday following comments by Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi and an announcement that the military was remobilizing two reservist brigades for the northern front. Immediately following a meeting of the Security Cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for the US, where he is scheduled to address the opening session of the United General Assembly on Friday.
Around 63,500 residents of northern Israel were forced to evacuate their homes when Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones in October. The terror group has launched more than 9,300 rockets and drones, killing 49 people on the Israeli side. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.
Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in compliance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
