Israel doubles naval presence in Red Sea as Houthi threat widens

Shafaq News- Middle East

Israel's navy has doubled its forces in the Red Sea and stationed warships permanently off the coastline following a fresh wave of Houthi ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles fired toward Israel, the military announced on Sunday.

Citing senior Israeli security and military officials, the Israeli news site Walla reported that a senior official said the Houthis are attempting to "distract" the Israeli military. "They will not succeed," he said. "We will act against them at the right time and place." Iran, he added, remains the primary theater, with operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon continuing in parallel.

The navy has not ruled out Houthi strikes against military vessels or civilians along the coast. A senior naval officer said forces are operating around the clock, with sea-based surveillance providing angles that sharpen understanding of aerial activity, coverage that land assets alone cannot match.

The alert tempo has cut leave and intensified rotations for both conscripts and career personnel. Most permanent staff at Eilat base have relocated their families to the city ahead of a major construction project -a new naval base slated to begin next year.