Sinwar congratulates Houthi leader on missile attack, says Hamas ready for long war
After ballistic missile launched from Yemen was intercepted above central Israel, Hamas chief praises attack for ‘reaching the depth of the enemy entity’
The Times of Israel
Sep 16, 2024
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar congratulated the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen for their missile attack on Israel, in a letter published by the Hamas website Monday.
The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, fired a ballistic missile at central Israel on Sunday morning, triggering sirens from the east of Tel Aviv to Modiin.
In his letter, Sinwar congratulated Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi on his “success in reaching the depth of the enemy entity,” referring to Israel.According to an Israeli Air Force probe, the Houthi missile was hit by an interceptor missile, but not completely destroyed, breaking apart in the air and causing slight damage due to falling shrapnel.
The Houthis claimed the missile was hypersonic, but the Israeli probe found that it was not.
On Monday, the group published an almost two-minute video of it they said was the launch of the missile, again claiming it was “hypersonic” and calling it “Palestine 2.”
The Houthis have fired over 220 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones at Israel over the past 11 months — mostly toward the southernmost city of Eilat. The vast majority have been intercepted or missed their target.
In his letter to the Houthi leader, Sinwar also addressed the condition of his terror group, as it battles Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has been at war with Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel from the enclave, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
“I can assure you the resistance is fine. We have prepared ourselves to fight a long battle of attrition,” he said, dismissing reports to the contrary as psychological warfare.
Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in tunnels under Gaza, has issued few public statements since the October 7 onslaught, though he has broken his silence several times in recent days.
Thought to be Israel’s top target, as it seeks to dismantle Hamas, he has evaded capture, despite extensive efforts by both Israel and the US.
In his letter to al-Houthi, Sinwar invoked the support of the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group and other Iranian proxies in the region, writing that “our efforts, along with the resistance in Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq, will defeat the enemy.”
Houthis say they downed $30m drone
Separately on Monday, the Houthis claimed to have shot down an American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, with video circulating online showing what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile strike and flaming wreckage strewn across the ground.
The US military said it was aware of the claim, without elaborating.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, identified the drone as an MQ-9, and said it was the third downed by the group in a week.
The other two claims did not include similar video or other evidence, however, and the US military has not acknowledged losing any aircraft.
Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA over Yemen for years.
The Houthis have repeatedly downed such drones in the years since they seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
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