Defense Minister Yoav Gallant boards the INS Magen Sa’ar 6-class corvette at the Eilat port, December 20, 2023 (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry.)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant toured an Israel Navy Sa’ar 6-class corvette at the Eilat port today, saying Israel “will not tolerate threats and attempts to attack Eilat,” in a message to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
“We will not tolerate threats on the State of Israel, if they continue to provoke us, try to attack Eilat with missiles or other means, we will know what to do,” Gallant says.
“We are getting ready, the troops here are ready for every mission and every command. The State of Israel, via the Navy and the Air Force, will know how to defend itself,” he adds.
Beyond attacking ships in the Red Sea, the Houthis in Yemen have fired several cruise missiles, drones, and ballistic missiles at Eilat, though they have all been intercepted by Israeli air defenses or missed their target.