Yemeni armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied port of Eilat was successful, adding that Yemen also shot down a US ship in the Red Sea.
Saree announced on Sunday that the Yemeni armed forces had carried out an information operation against Tel Aviv. He said that in a unique operation, the Yemeni armed forces launched several missile strikes on vital targets in Eilat, and the missiles successfully hit the targets.
He also stressed that another operation was carried out with the participation of the Yemeni Navy, Air Force and missile forces, targeting a US ship in the Red Sea. This joint operation was carried out using ballistic missiles and drones, which resulted in hitting the US ship.
Yahya Saree also added that Yemeni naval operations against Israeli, American and British ships or vessels travelling to occupied Palestinian ports will not stop until the aggression against Gaza ends. Local sources reported a powerful explosion in Israeli-occupied Eilat early Sunday morning. Israeli media reported that alarm sirens sounded in Eilat after the loud explosion.
The incident came just hours after Israel attacked the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. On Saturday, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah province on the Red Sea coast. The shelling damaged an oil refinery, causing a massive fire that was visible several kilometres away. Following the Israeli attack on Yemeni soil, the Arab country’s army spokesman Yahya Saree said the Yemeni armed forces would not hesitate to respond to the Israeli strikes on the port of Hodeidah.
Saudi Arabia reacts
A Saudi defence ministry spokesman said the kingdom was not involved in the Hodeidah strikes. He added that Saudi Arabia “will not allow its airspace to be penetrated by any party.”
Egypt, which is trying to help broker a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement, said it was following the Israeli strike with “great concern.”