Israeli military admits in a first: Yemeni missile struck 'Eilat'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
20 Mar 2024 00:58
2 Shares

Israeli media outlets report on the "major catastrophe" of a Yemeni missile hitting occupied Palestinian territories.

A cruise missile flies toward occupied Palestine from Yemen as the Yemeni Armed Forces launch a campaign in support of Palestine, in photos released on November 1, 2023. (Yemeni Armed Forces/Military Media)

Israeli occupation forces acknowledged that a cruise missile coming from the direction of the Red Sea from Yemen struck territories in southern occupied Palestine near the "Eilat" settlement on Monday.

This is the "first time" that Israeli authorities admit that a Yemeni aerial object entered occupied Palestinian airspace and exploded upon detonation, Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported.

The broadcaster said that the missile circumvented Israeli anti-air systems and impacted "Eilat" on Monday.

According to Channel 13, the cruise missile hit its target at 2:00 am (local time) on Monday.

The Israeli military claimed that the missile was being monitored by the Israeli Air Force but did not down it. However, it said that the incident is being investigated, raising question marks about a possible failure of Israeli anti-air systems.

Correspondent to Channel 13, Amlog Boker, said that the incident "was a serious and important mistake," saying that the cruise missile was not detected by Israeli anti-air systems, which usually alert settlers of incoming attacks ahead of impact.

He said that the missile was launched from Yemen and struck its target after two hours of flight, carrying tens of kilograms of explosives that could have caused a "major catastrophe".

Yemeni Armed Forces relentless in support of Palestine

Earlier on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that the YAF had targeted the Israeli settlement of "Eilat" with a number of cruise missiles, citing the name of the Palestinian town on which the settlement was built.

"Our forces fired several cruise missiles at Israeli targets in the Umm al-Rashrash region in southern occupied Palestine," he added.

He stressed that these operations come in support of the Palestinian people, who are still facing Israeli aggression and siege, and in response to the US and British aggression on Yemen.

Saree reiterated that the YAF's military operations will not cease until the Israeli aggression on Gaza stops and the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people in the Strip is lifted.