Houthis claim drone strikes on four Israeli cities in Gaza war escalation

Yemen’s Houthi group says it launched six drones targeting Haifa, Negev, Eilat and Be’er Sheva, claiming successful hits in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza. Israel has not commented. Houthis pledge more attacks until the blockade ends.

Sanaa: Yemen’s Houthi group said that it launched four drone attacks targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa, Negev, Eilat, and Be’er Sheva.

Using six drones, the attacks “successfully achieved their objectives,” the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Tuesday.

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Sarea said the attacks were carried out in response to Israel’s “implementation of its plan to eliminate the Palestinian cause through genocide, starvation, and displacement.”

He also vowed continued attacks against Israel until “aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and the blockade is lifted.”

There were no immediate comments from Israel regarding the group’s alleged attacks, Xinhua news agency reported.

Houthi forces have fired dozens of missiles and drones toward Israel since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, citing solidarity with the Palestinians.

Most of the projectiles have been intercepted or have missed their targets. In response, Israel has carried out a series of strikes on ports and other infrastructure in Yemen.

Earlier on Saturday, Yemeni government forces repelled a large-scale offensive by the Houthi group in southern Yemen’s Dhalea province and killed three Houthi militants during the confrontation, a military official told Xinhua.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the Houthis used heavy artillery in an attempt to break through government defensive lines in the Bab Ghalaq area in northern Dhalea, triggering intense fighting between the group and government forces.

The fighting lasted for about an hour before the Houthis were forced to withdraw in disarray toward their positions, whereas the government forces maintained their defensive positions, said the official.