Israel launches interceptor missile at threat over Red Sea

Jerusalem: An incoming aerial threat over the Red Sea on Thursday prompted Israeli forces to sound sirens in the southern resort city of Eilat and launch an interceptor missile, the military said, adding that any danger had passed.

The military statement did not specify what had been launched at Eilat nor whether it had been successfully shot down. The city has previously been the target of long-range missile or drone attacks by Yemen's Iranian-aligned Houthis.

Medics said there was no word of any casualties in the incident, during which witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion and local TV showed smoke above the Gulf of Aqaba.

The Houthis, like several other Iranian-linked groups in the region, have been carrying out attacks on Israel in solidarity with Palestinian Hamas militants fighting a war with it in Gaza.