Israeli army intercepts Houthi missile targeting Eilat amid rising Red Sea tensions

Jerusalem, July 21 (IANS) Israel's army said on Sunday it has intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched by Houthi forces in the Red Sea targeting the resort city Eilat, amid an escalation between the Yemenite forces and Israel.

Before the interception, the missile triggered sirens in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city. "The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) Aerial Defence Array successfully intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that approached Israeli territory from Yemen using the Arrow-3 Aerial Defence System," the Israeli military said in a press statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

The missile did not cross into Israeli territory, the military added.

The attack came a day after Israeli airstrikes killed and injured several people in the Houthi-held Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, in retaliation for a drone attack that killed a man and injured about 10 people in Tel Aviv.

The Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack. Yahya Saree, the group's spokesman, said in a statement on social network platform X that "a number of ballistic missiles" targeted a military site in Eilat.

He added that ballistic missiles and drones also targeted the American ship "Pumba" in the Red Sea. The US military confirmed intercepting a drone fired by the Houthis over the Red Sea.

Saree vowed that the attacks "will not stop until the aggression ceases and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted."

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