Israel’s government said its air defenses intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Sunday (July 21), after Houthi rebels said they fired several missiles at the Israeli city of Eilat on the Red Sea.

The attack extended an escalation of violence between Israel and the Houthis that began on Friday (19), when the Yemeni group launched a drone that hit central Tel Aviv, killing one man and wounding four others.

Israel strikes Houthi targets

Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike near Yemen’s Hodeidah port in response on Saturday (20), hitting what Israel said were Houthi military targets.

Six people were killed and 80 others wounded in the attack, medical sources in Yemen told Reuters on Sunday, saying they were all civilians.

Images from the scene showed a fire and thick smoke rising from the site of the attack.

Also on Saturday, the Houthis said they “will respond to this blatant aggression” and “will not hesitate to strike the vital targets of the Israeli enemy.”

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam told Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV on Sunday that there would be “no red lines… all sensitive institutions… will be a target for us”.

Projectile intercepted

Israel’s military said that its Arrow 3 missile defense system shot down the projectile launched from Yemen this Sunday, before crossing Israeli territory.

Before the interception, air raid sirens sounded in Eilat, sending residents running for cover.

The exchanges of attacks are part of a side effect of the Gaza war, which has already lasted more than nine months and has drawn in regional and world powers.

Iran-aligned groups including the Houthis have fired rockets and missiles at Israel, saying they are doing so in support of the Palestinians and Hamas, which controls Gaza.

The United States and its allies support Israel and supply it with weapons.

Conflict in the Middle East

The war began on October 7 after a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli officials.

From there, Israel bombed and entered Gaza, eliminating almost 39,000 people, according to health authorities in the Palestinian territory.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen and other major population centers, have previously claimed attacks on Eilat and other attacks targeting Israel, saying they were acting in retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza.

The group has also been attacking Red Sea shipping lanes for months.

Hamas’ allies add Iranian-backed groups such as the Houthis, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi paramilitaries.