Egyptian air defense shot down a drone off the Red Sea coast near the resort town of Dahab on Egypt's eastern Sinai coast, two security sources said on Saturday. A spokesman for Yemen's Iranian-allied Houthis said the group had attacked the Israeli city of Eilat on Saturday with a swarm of drones. Egyptian air defense shot down a suspected drone off the Red Sea coast near the resort town of Dahab on Egypt's eastern Sinai coast, two security sources said. Witnesses in Dahab said they saw an object fall into the water. They said they saw another flying object fall in the nearby mountains. In late October, drones caused explosions that rocked two other Red Sea towns, which Israel said Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi movement sent them to strike its territory.
Yemen's Houthis have warned Israel, the United States and other Western allies that any hostile move from foreign forces against the country will have dire consequences and come at great cost. The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of Yemen but are not recognized internationally, have escalated maritime tensions by launching near-daily attacks on vital waterways to pressure Israel in its war against the Palestinian armed group Hamas. Ali al-Qahoum, a member of the Houthi's political council, said Yemen was ready with all defensive options to respond to any military moves by the US, Israel or other Western powers. "The Houthis will not abandon the Palestinian cause, regardless of any U.S., Israeli or Western threats," al-Qahoum said. Danish shipping company Maersk said on Friday it was suspending its vessels' passage through the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd said it would pause journeys in the Red Sea until Monday.
U.S. Navy forces said they shot down 14 drones over the Red Sea Saturday morning. Egypt's state-run media also reported that Egyptian air defense had shot down a "flying object" off the Egyptian resort town of Dahab. A British destroyer brought down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea, U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps said. The overnight action was the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in conflict since the 1991 Gulf War. Shapps said attacks on commercial ships in the global trade artery by Yemen's Houthis "represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security."
People attend the funeral ceremony of Al Jazeera cameraman Samir Abu Dhaka, who died in the Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 16. Two homes in northern Gaza were struck by an Israeli attack, resulting in the deaths of 14 people and injuring others. A funeral attended by dozens of mourners has been held for Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abudaqa in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis. At least 18,787 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel stands at around 1,200.
On Saturday, Head of the Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi discussed the political efforts in Yemen and government measures to contain the repercussions of Houthi attacks on oil facilities and navigation lines with the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, according to the state-run Saba News agency. Al-Alimi received Ambassador Fagin in Riyadh, where the meeting covered bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as local developments, including the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to launch a comprehensive political process under the auspices of the United Nations. The meeting also reviewed economic and financial reforms, the international support required to enhance the progress of these reforms, and government measures to contain the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of Houthi attacks on oil facilities and international navigation lines.
