Houthis Target Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, and U.S. Destroyers in Support of Gaza and Lebanon

Yemen's Houthi militants claimed missile and drone attacks on Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, and U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea. The Israeli army intercepted one missile, and the Houthis vowed continued operations until Israeli offensives in Gaza and Lebanon cease. The conflict has claimed significant casualties in Lebanon.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants announced on Friday they had launched missile and drone attacks on the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon, as well as three U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea, in solidarity with Gaza and Lebanon.

The Israeli army reported the interception of a missile fired from Yemen after warning sirens were triggered. The Houthis' military spokesperson stated that their operations would persist until Israel halts its offensives in Gaza and Lebanon.

The group targeted Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile and directed a drone towards Ashkelon in southern Israel, according to spokesperson Yahya Sarea. 'We will conduct further military operations against the Israeli enemy to honor the blood of our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon,' Sarea declared in a televised address.

Sarea also revealed in a separate broadcast that they had similarly targeted three U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea with 23 ballistic and winged missiles and a drone as the vessels moved to support Israel. The U.S. military has yet to comment on the incident.

Israeli strikes have resulted in over 600 deaths in Lebanon since Monday, as the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah reaches its highest intensity in more than 18 years. Hezbollah has been launching rockets into Israel nearly continuously in support of the allied Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is engaged in combat with Israel in Gaza.

(With inputs from agencies.)