(Jerusalem) – The Israeli army announced, on Wednesday, that it had intercepted with a fighter plane a “cruise missile” that was advancing towards the south of the country, in the midst of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“An Israeli Air Force fighter successfully intercepted a cruise missile launched toward Israel,” the army statement said, following reports of a violation of airspace near the city of Eilat.
“No infiltration into Israeli territory has been identified,” the statement read.
The war between Hamas and Israel, which broke out due to the Palestinian Islamic Movement’s attack on Israeli territory on October 7, raises fears of a regional escalation, especially involving the “axis of resistance” against Israel, which includes groups supported by Iran, including, in addition to Hamas. The Lebanese Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Houthis claimed, on Sunday, that they had seized the “Galaxy Leader” commercial ship owned by an Israeli businessman in the Red Sea, in response to the war waged by Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The cargo ship was chartered by a Japanese group. Japan announced that it would contact the Houthis directly to obtain the release of the ship.
In the Palestinian territories, more than 14,000 people were killed in Israeli bombing, including more than 5,800 children, according to the Hamas government.
