DOHA, December 19. /TASS/. Yemen’s rebel Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement said its members had attacked a military target in Tel Aviv with a drone.
"The air force <…> delivered a drone strike on the enemy’s military target in [Tel Aviv’s] Yafo district," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria said, adding that the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "has successfully reached its target."
He emphasized that the movement is "ready for a long war against the enemy" and will continue its support to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In the early hours of Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that missiles were fired from Yemen toward the territory of central Israel. One of them was intercepted, and its fragments damaged a school in Tel Aviv’s eastern suburb, Ramat Gan. Shortly after, the IDF said that a series of air strikes was delivered on Houthi sites in Yemen, including power facilities in Yemen’s capital Sana’a. According to Houthi-controlled Al Masirah channel, at least nine people were killed in Israeli air raids on the country’s territory.
The Ansar Allah movement’s military spokesman later said that two "hypersonic ballistic missiles" were used by the Houthis to attack Tel Aviv. Their launch coincided with Israel’s air raid on Yemen.
With the conflict in the Gaza Strip escalating, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement announced that it would conduct strikes on Israeli territory and block pro-Israeli vessels from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until Tel Aviv ceases its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. The Houthis have attacked dozens of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November of last year.
In response to Ansar Allah's actions, US officials announced the formation of an international coalition and the preparation of Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure freedom of navigation and protection of ships in the Red Sea. As a result, UK and US forces began regularly attacking rebel military facilities in various provinces of Yemen.