Israel Claims Interception Of “Aerial Threat” Over Red Sea
The Israel Defence Force said on Friday that Air Force fighters had intercepted an aerial target over the Red Sea that morning.
In a statement, the IDF said it scrambled aircraft after detecting an “aerial threat” over the Red Sea. The IDF claims to have intercepted the targets before they entered Israeli airspace, and released a video of an interception of one of the targets.
The disclosure of the interception follows reports of two explosions on Egypt’s Red Sea coast early Friday morning. Egyptian army spokesperson Colonel Gharib Abdel-Hafez said that an “unidentified drone” struck a building near a hospital in the resort town of Taba, which lies on Egypt’s Red Sea coast near its border with Israel. Six people are said to have been injured by the explosion.
Reuters also reports that Egyptian authorities are investigating the landing of a projectile near an electricity plant in a desert area of the town of Nuweiba.
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said earlier on Friday that the Taba explosion was caused by an aerial threat that originated from “the Red Sea area”, with Israel scrambling its own aircraft in response. “To our understanding, the impact in Egypt originates from this threat. Israel will work together with Egypt and the US and tighten the defense against threats from the Red Sea area”, said Hagari.
While no claims of responsibility have been made as of writing, the incidents follow the USS Carney’s interception of Houthi-launched cruise missiles and long-range suicide unmanned aerial vehicles on October 19. The USS Carney shot down four cruise missiles and 15 UAVs during the hours-long engagement in the northern Red Sea.
In a subsequent press conference, Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said that the intercepted cruise missiles and drones could have been targeting Israel, heading north through the Red Sea after being launched in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. The Iranian-backed Houthi movement has repeatedly threatened to attack Israel should its war on Hamas escalate.