Yemen rebels say targeted Israel army site, US warships: statement

Yemen's Huthis said they targeted a military site in Israel and attacked two US destroyers in the Red Sea Monday, shortly after Israel's army said it intercepted a drone launched from the east.

The Yemen fighter group "carried out a military operation targeting an Israeli military target in the occupied area of Yaffa (Tel Aviv) using a 'Yaffa' drone," Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.

The Huthis also targeted "two US destroyers with several cruise missiles and drones" in the Red Sea, he added.

Earlier Monday, the Israeli military said it intercepted a drone "that approached Israeli territory from the east" before it could cross over into its territory.

Rebel-held areas of Yemen have seen near-daily strikes blamed on the United States since Washington launched an air campaign against the Huthis on March 15 to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.

Since then, the Huthis have also launched attacks targeting US military ships and Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The rebels began targeting ships transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, pausing the attacks during a January ceasefire.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza at the start of March and resumed its offensive on the Palestinian territory on March 18, ending the short-lived truce.

The new US campaign followed Huthi's threats to resume attacks on vessels over Israel's blockade on Gaza.

The Huthi attacks had crippled the vital Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies to make a much longer detour around the tip of southern Africa.