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Israel Says It Intercepts Missile Fired from Yemen, Houthis Say they Targeted Eilat

New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
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Israel Says It Intercepts Missile Fired from Yemen, Houthis Say they Targeted Eilat

New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
New imported cars are seen in a parking lot next to the Eilat port, Israel, June 12, 2018. Picture taken June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

Israel said its air defenses intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen on Sunday and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had fired several missiles at the Israeli Red Sea city of Eilat.
The attack prolonged an escalation of violence between Israel and the Houthis that began on Friday when the Yemeni group launched a drone that hit the center of Tel Aviv, killing one man and wounding four others.
Israeli warplanes carried out an air raid near Yemen's Hodeidah port in response on Saturday, hitting what Israel said were Houthi military targets. Six people were killed and 80 others injured in the attack, medical sources in Yemen told Reuters on Sunday, saying that they were all civilians.
Images from the scene showed a fiery blaze and dense smoke rising from the site of the strike.
The Israeli military said its Arrow 3 missile defense system had shot down the projectile launched from Yemen on Sunday before it crossed into Israeli territory.
Before the interception, air raid sirens had sounded in Eilat, sending residents running for shelter.
The exchanges are part of a spillover from the more than nine-month-old Gaza war that has drawn in regional and world powers.
Iran-aligned groups including the Houthis have fired rockets and missiles at Israel saying they are doing so in support of Palestinians and the group Hamas that controls Gaza. The United States and its allies back Israel and provide weapons to it.
The war began on Oct. 7 after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli authorities. Israel has since bombed and invaded Gaza killing nearly 39,000 people, according to health officials in the enclave.
The Houthis, who control much of the north of Yemen and other large population centers have previously claimed targeting Eilat and other attacks directed at Israel, saying they are acting in retaliation for Israel's war on Gaza.
The group has also attacked Red Sea shipping routes for months.
Hamas' allies include Iran-backed groups such as the Houthis, Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi paramilitaries.

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Erdogan Says Türkiye Can ‘Crush’ All Terrorists in Syria

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
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Erdogan Says Türkiye Can ‘Crush’ All Terrorists in Syria

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Wednesday that Türkiye had the power and ability to "crush" all terrorists in Syria, including ISIS and Kurdish militants, while urging all countries to "take their hands off" Syria.

Since last month's fall of Bashar al-Assad, Türkiye has said repeatedly it was time for the Kurdish YPG militia to disband. Ankara considers the group, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a terrorist organization.

Ankara has said the new Syrian administration must be given an opportunity to address the YPG presence, but also threatened to mount a new cross-border operation against the militia based in northeast Syria if its demands are not met.

Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said the YPG was the biggest problem in Syria now, and added that the group would not be able to escape its inevitable end unless it lays down its arms.

"Regarding fabricated excuses like ISIS, these have no convincing side anymore," Erdogan said, referring to the US position that the YPG was a key partner against ISIS in Syria and that it plays a vital role guarding prison camps where the extremist militants are kept.

"If there is really a fear of the ISIS threat in Syria and the region, the biggest power that has the will and power to resolve this issue is Türkiye," he said.

"Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, along with our Syrian siblings, will crush the heads of ISIS, the YPG and other terrorist organizations in a short time."

Türkiye has repeatedly asked its NATO ally the United States to halt support for the SDF, and has said the new administration in Syria had offered to take over the management of the prisons.