Sanaa (South24)

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The Iranian-backed Houthi militia claimed missiles and drones that were launched towards Israel, before being intercepted by the US Navy north of the Red Sea last Thursday.

The head of the Houthis government, Abdulaziz bin Habtour, said: "We launched these missiles as a form of solidarity with the people of Gaza."

Bin Habtour claimed that the US Navy did not succeed in intercepting all the missiles and drones. He said in a video statement that "some of it reached its targets."

Bin Habtour threatened to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea if Israeli military operations continued in the Palestine’s Gaza Strip.

Related: Houthis threaten to launch missiles and drones towards Israel 

"Sanaa has contributed and will contribute with all capabilities to respond to the massacre in Gaza," he added. 

Israel Public Broadcasting posted Bin Habtour’s statements on its official account on "X" platform hours ago.

The Israeli news website "Srugim" reported that "the distance between [North] Yemen and southern Israel is about 1,700 kilometers, and it is not certain that the Yemeni army has missiles that can reach this range."

Last Thursday, the US Department of Defense announced that destroyer USS Carney intercepted drones and three cruise missiles in the northern Red Sea, launched by the Houthi militias.

"We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said.

Related: Washington accuses Houthis of regional escalation

The Houthis have held a number of meetings with representatives of Palestinian factions in Sanaa since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.

A Houthi newspaper said yesterday, that Bin Habtour visited Hamas office in Sanaa. This is the third visit of its kind in two weeks.

Related: Sanaa: Houthis move to support Palestinian factions

On October 10, Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi officially threatened to launch missiles and drones against Israel.

Earlier, an analysis published by 'South24 Center' did not rule out that the Houthis would attack Israeli ships coming from the port of Eilat in the Red Sea.

Related: The Significance of the Latest Houthi Threats Against Israel