First-Ever Houthi Cruise Missile Breaches Israeli Air Defenses

By Yoni Weiss

The IDF confirmed the breach of Israeli airspace by a cruise missile launched by Houthi terrorists from Yemen. B’chasdei Shamayim, the missile landed harmlessly in an open area close to Eilat on Tuesday night.

The IDF’s Air Force successfully tracked the trajectory of the missile.

These terrorists, backed by Iran, have made repeated attempts to target Israel since Oct. 19, using a variety of missiles and drones. However, Israeli defense systems or U.S. naval forces stationed in the Red Sea have intercepted or diverted all previous attempts before they could breach Israeli airspace.

On Nov. 9, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile toward Eilat, which was intercepted by Israel’s advanced Arrow 3 hypersonic anti-ballistic missile system, marking its first operational use.

In December, the Houthis issued a threat to target any ships bound for Israel in the Red Sea, regardless of their ownership.

Operating from bases along the Yemeni coast, the Houthis have been targeting and harassing ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime passage between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. This strait serves as a vital route for much of the world’s oil trade, linking the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.

These attacks have compelled several major shipping companies to reroute their vessels around the African continent, disrupting the crucial global trade route connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Additionally, on the same day, the U.S. military’s Central Command (Centcom) announced that naval forces in the Red Sea successfully intercepted and destroyed seven anti-ship missiles, three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and three weapons storage containers in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense. Centcom emphasized that these weapons posed an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region.