In response to a series of missile and drone attacks from the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, the Israeli military announced the deployment of missile boats in the Red Sea on Wednesday. The move comes as a reinforcement measure to protect Israel’s southern region, especially the city of Eilat, which is located along the Red Sea coastline.
Images released by the Israeli military showed Saar-class corvettes patrolling the waters near Eilat port. The Red Sea has become a new front for Israel as it faces retaliation from Iran-aligned pro-Hamas forces in response to its involvement in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The Houthi movement, based in Yemen and backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for three drone and missile attacks targeting Israel since the beginning of the Palestine-Israel war on October 7. They have vowed to continue such attacks in support of the Palestinian cause.
In a recent incident, the Israeli military intercepted what they described as an “aerial threat” over the Red Sea, highlighting the escalating tensions in the region.
Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi expressed Israel’s stance on the Houthi attacks, describing them as intolerable. However, he did not provide specific details regarding how Israel might respond to these threats.
The Houthi movement is part of a regional alliance hostile to Israel and the United States, which also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Despite the geographical distance between Yemen, where the Houthis govern significant territories, and Israel, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has made the Red Sea area a potential battleground.
It’s worth noting that, to date, the missiles and drones launched at Israel from the Red Sea area have either been intercepted or have fallen short of their intended targets. One such incident on October 27 led to drone attacks in two Egyptian towns on the Red Sea, which Israel attributed to the Houthis, with the intention to strike Israeli territory.
The situation remains fluid, with Israel’s military presence in the Red Sea highlighting the gravity of the situation and the potential for further escalation in the region.
