Israel deploys missile boats in the Red Sea as Houthis attack from Yemen.

A day after the Houthi movement, which is affiliated with Iran, claimed to have conducted missile and drone assaults on Israel and promised to carry out more, the Israeli military said on Wednesday that it had sent missile boats into the Red Sea as reinforcements.

The military released pictures of Saar-class corvettes cruising the Red Sea near Eilat harbor. Israel views this as a new front in the conflict with Hamas, which it is fighting in Gaza, as it is likely to provoke retribution from pro-Hamas forces in the region who are affiliated with Iran.

Since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel battle on October 7, the Houthi movement stated on Tuesday that they have launched three drone and missile assaults against Israel. It promised that further assaults of this nature would occur “to help the Palestinians to victory.”

Overnight, the Israeli military claimed to have detected an “aerial threat” over the Red Sea, raising the possibility of a fresh strike.

Tzachi Hanegbi, the Israeli national security adviser, stated on Tuesday that the Houthi strikes were unacceptable but would not provide any details when questioned about possible Israeli retaliation.

The Houthis are a component of the regional coalition opposed to Israel and the US that is associated with Iran and includes Iran-backed militias in Iraq as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

More than a thousand kilometers from Israel, the Houthis control large portions of Yemen, including the capital city of Sanaa.

Since October 7, drones and missiles fired from the Red Sea region toward Israel have so far either failed to reach their target or were shot down.

In an event on October 27, Israel claimed the Houthis were responsible for a drone strike that resulted in explosions in two Red Sea cities in Egypt, claiming the attacks were meant to target Israel.