Iraqi militant group claims drone attack on Israeli port city

Baghdad, Aug 25: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a Shiite militia group, announced on Sunday that it carried out a drone attack on a site in Haifa, northern Israel.

In a statement, the militia claimed its fighters targeted a "vital site" in Haifa on Sunday, stating the attack was made "in solidarity with the people of Gaza" and pledging to continue targeting "the enemy's strongholds." The statement did not specify details about the targeted site or any casualties, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israeli authorities have yet to comment on the reported attack. Since the onset of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on October 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has conducted several attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets in the region to demonstrate support for Palestinians in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis praised another attack by Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Israel Sunday and renewed threats to launch their own assault in response to Israeli strikes on a port in Yemen.

“We congratulate Hezbollah and its Secretary-General on the great and courageous attack carried out by the resistance this morning against the Israeli enemy,” the Houthis said in a statement after Hezbollah said it had launched a large-scale attack with rockets and drones.

The Yemeni group said the “strong and effective response ... confirms that the resistance is capable, strong and honest in its promise and threats.”

The Houthis pledged to launch their own attacks against Israel in response to July 20 strikes that targeted a rebel-run port in the coastal city of Hodeida.

“We reaffirm once again that the Yemeni response is definitely coming,” the statement said.

Israel’s response destroyed much of the port’s fuel storage capacity and killed at least nine people, according to the Houthis. The Houthis are fighting Israel as part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” which includes militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Since November, the Yemeni group have launched a flurry of missile and drone strikes on Israel-linked shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. They say the campaign that has disrupted maritime traffic in the key global trade route is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in the Gaza Strip.