Houthis launch ballistic missiles at Israel

JERUSALEM - An unidentified drone hit a civilian building in the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Thursday and caused light damage, Israel's military said, and Yemen's Houthi movement said it fired ballistic missiles toward the Red Sea port city.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement has launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Israel since the October 7 outbreak of Israel-Hamas fighting. Aside from Thursday's drone hit, all were either shot down or fell short.

Houthis have launched a batch of ballistic missiles at various targets on Israel including military targets in Eilat, the group's military spokesperson said on Thursday. 

Later on Thursday, the military said its "Arrow" air defence system intercepted a missile launched at Israeli territory near the Red Sea, and that its Patriot defence system had intercepted a "suspicious target" in the southern Negev desert.

The Houthis said they launched a batch of ballistic missiles at various Israeli targets including what the group's military spokesperson described as military targets in Eilat.

Israel's military did not attribute blame for the missile launch or the target intercepted in the Negev.

The Houthis are part of the Iran-aligned regional alliance, which also includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, that has backed Hamas in its war with Israel.

The Houthis govern swathes of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, more than a thousand miles from Israel.

Israel has boosted its naval presence in the Red Sea to better protect its southern shores, while the United States also has a significant amount of naval power in the region.

Eilat is the Israel's main commercial gateway through the Red Sea.

Daniel Mueller, analyst with British maritime security company Ambrey, said Thursday's drone hit "would be the first confirmed damage within the city of Eilat since the October 7 hostilities commenced."

Hamas and the Houthis "have fired multiple rockets, cruise missiles and UAVs towards Eilat," Mueller added.

Israeli waters are considered a high risk zone by marine insurers and every ship is required to pay an additional war risk premium, which is typically renewed every seven days.

Such premiums have soared 10-fold in recent weeks, adding tens of thousands of dollars to every voyage, industry sources say. And this means higher freight costs.

The southern Mediterranean port of Ashkelon, which is closest to Gaza, has closed in recent weeks with at least one oil tanker diverted to Eilat.

Ambrey has advised clients that merchant shipping can still call at Ashkelon port, as shipping is doing in Ashdod, but to adopt ballistic protection measures. These can include hardware, but also procedures such as minimising crew deck movements.