The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday evening that an unidentified aerial target that struck an open area near Eilat early Monday morning was, indeed, a cruise missile.
Houthi’s missile breached Israeli airspace from the Red Sea direction, marking the first such incursion by a Houthi-launched cruise missile into Israeli territory.
The IDF said that it promptly tracked the trajectory of the missile with the Air Force’s vigilance throughout the entire episode.
Footage purportedly capturing the moment of the explosion in Eilat, allegedly caused by the Houthi-launched cruise missile, circulated widely.
🇾🇪🇮🇱‼️🚨 BREAKING; For the first time since the beginning of the war on Gaza, the Israeli army spokesman admitted that a cruise missile coming from Yemen fell on the occupied city of Eilat on Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/bOsSwpHps6
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) March 19, 2024
In past instances, Houthi missile attacks were intercepted primarily by American coalition forces or the Israeli Air Force over the Red Sea or neighboring territories such as Jordan. However, this latest incident demonstrates a worrisome shift in tactics, with a direct strike reaching Israeli soil.
Beyond the missile incident, Yemen’s Houthis have also targeted commercial vessels, including a Marshall Islands-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker named MADO. The vessel, en route from Saudi Arabia to Singapore, narrowly escaped two separate missile attacks on March 15 and March 17, causing no casualties or damage. These maritime attacks further compound concerns over regional stability and the safety of international shipping lanes amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.