The Houthi rebels of Yemen claimed for the first time to have carried out missile and drone attacks targeting Israel. This represents an escalation that draws Iran, the Houthis' main sponsor, further into the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli military said its own fighter jets and the Arrow missile defense system intercepted two salvos of incoming fire hours apart as they approached Eilat, Israel's key Red Sea shipping port. A Houthi military spokesman said the attacks targeted "various targets of the Israeli enemy" and were "the third operation in support of our oppressed brothers in Palestine."