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The Israeli Arrow air defense system intercepted a heavy Houthi missile aimed at Israel's Red Sea port city of Eilat. An Israeli expert has confirmed it was shot down by Arrow 2, not the exoatmospheric Arrow 3.
The Arrow intercept marks the first time that Israel has been attacked by Houthi forces in Yemen. The Houthis are Iranian proxies and have used missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia. the UAE and Egypt.
Today Yemen also claimed it sent drones to attack Israel. These were intercepted well outside of Israel's territory by IAF fighter jets and destroyed. Cruise missiles may also have been used in the Houthi operation.
While the Houthis have not said anything about the ballistic missile launch, they have acknowledged the drone attacks. "These drones belong to the state of Yemen,” Houthi ‘prime minister’ Abdelaziz bin Habtour told the AFP news agency."
Israel has acknowledged that it "coordinated with foreign armies" in defeating the Houthi attack. These "foreign armies" most likely were either Saudi Arabian or Egyptian.
Earlier this week (October 29th) two Houthi missiles landed in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Nuweiba. Late last week, on October 27, the Houthis attacked the Egyptian Sinai town of Taba near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, a short distance from Eilat.
All Houthi weapons come from Iran, and Iran provides both operational support and tactical direction.
The Houthi intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) is the Burkan-2H (Volcano). It is an Iranian version of the Russian Scud C or Scud D known in Iran as the Qiam 1 and/or Shahab 2. It is believed the missiles are shipped to Yemen piecemeal and the segments field-welded together. Its firing range is 1,200 km (746 miles). The missile features a 500 kg (1,102 lb.) warhead. A newer version of the Houthi IRBM can hit most targets in Saudi Arabia and an even further improved model, called the Burkan-3 (aka Ghader-H) can go even further, with a range of 2,000 km (1,243 miles).
The Arrow 2 apparently shot down the longest range version of the Houthi-Iranian missiles.
The lineage of the missile traces back to the Soviet Union, but the modern versions probably originated in North Korea (Hwasong-5 and Hwasong-9) and were shared with Iran.
The types of drones sent toward Israel by Yemen have not yet been specified. However it is likely the type sent to attack Egypt and Israel was the Samad-3. It has a range of around 1,500 km (932 miles). Experts believe the drones are supplied by Iran, although the Houthis claim it is home built.
If a cruise missile was used the Houthi type involved could have been the Quds-Z. This missile is identical to the cruise missiles Iran launched against Saudi oil installations at Abqaiq and Khurais in 2019.
[UPDATE: It is now confirmed (Nov 3) that an Israeli F-35 shot down a cruise missile. Israel’s Defense Ministry released a brief video of the intercept. See
US policy toward Yemen and the Houthis is an ongoing problem. The Biden administration lifted the terrorist designation of the Houthis put there by President Trump. The administration also pressured the Saudis and UAE to enter into negotiations with the Houthis and stop attacking them. This has led to a build-up of Houthi offensive capabilities which threaten Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Israel. The attacks on Egypt and Israel were totally unprovoked, aggressive and were done carrying out Iranian policy.
I guess the European leaders were laughing at Trump for blocking the Houthis just like everything else he tried to do in foreign affairs. I wonder who is laughing now?
Worth Noting:
Maybe Jerusalem needs to reconsider their strategic options.
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TIME has been chosen by US Deep State puppeteers to signal Zelensky is about to be Diem-icized. This is a typical Deep State "SPECIAL Communications" bulletin. TIME portrays Z. as totally bonkers and delusional.
https://time.com/6329188/ukraine-volodymyr-zelensky-interview/
Methinks this is a huge story and the first concrete step to conclude the misbegotten Ukrainian "Great ROI" War.
The Time hit piece could have been written a long time ago; the fact that we're seeing it now tells us that the UkroNazis have served their purpose. As Henry the K says"...but to be America’s friend is fatal" .
NB: TIME confirms Stephen's reporting by noting as well that even if the West lavishes armaments on Ukraine, there's no one left to fire these weapons. It's over. Now that the pool of young men is literally depleted, US Deep State ready to move on to More War du Jour.
Let's face it: You've got to be a pretty dumb head of state not to know this is how the UniPolar Hegemon has operated for 80 years... Zelensky the Comic is a perfect example of pure dumbass.
On that note it is also worth mentioning that the Taiwanese show they have a much higher IQ than the UkroNazis. Latest polling for JAN elections shows that an PRC ACCOMODATIONIST coalition is winning by a margin of almost 70%. No doubt, visions of Taipei reduced to Bakhmut style rubble have influenced Taiwanese voters.
It's over. In only three years Biden scores a hat trick: Afghanistan, Ukraine and Taiwan. He's definitely primed for Re-Election.
As stated: Maybe Jerusalem needs to reconsider their strategic options as well.