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On November 1, 2023, Al-'Ilam Al-Harbi Al-Yemeni (the Yemeni War Media), which is run by Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis), published videos that it claimed showed the launch of munitions directed at Israel on October 31. The video was published on the Telegram channel linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Sepah Cybery and on other channels affiliated with Iran-backed militias.[1]
Launching The Attack
The video features the launches of what appear to be two ballistic missiles, 42 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones), and seven unidentifiable objects. Most of the objects are unidentifiable due to nighttime conditions obscuring the view of the aircraft. All are launched from what appear to be arid, uninhabited locations.
A title screen identifies the contents of the video as: "Scenes from the operations carried out by the Yemeni [i.e., Houthi] Missile Force and the Air Force with a large number of ballistic and winged missiles and drones against the Israeli enemy in occupied Palestine in response to its crimes against the Gaza Strip."
The post from "Sepah Cybery" commented on the video, writing: "Yemen's Ansar Allah armed forces released a video of the joint operation of the Ansar Allah missile forces and the air force in targeting targets deep within the Zionist regime in occupied Palestine."
"Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory For Islam"
Following the launch, a man's voice shouts, "Allahu Akbar [Allah is the greatest], death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory for Islam. This is for you, Al-Aqsa [Mosque]. This is for you, Gaza!"
Similar chants against the U.S., Israel, and Jews repeat throughout the video.
Throughout the video, the bottom quarter of the screen is digitally blurred, preventing identification of that area. At multiple points during the video, individuals can be seen walking in the blurred area.
During what appears to be the launch of ground-launched drones, both the Yemeni and Palestinian flags are visible in the foreground.
Analysis
Some of the launches take place in a nighttime setting, while others take place during the day, suggesting that multiple salvos were included in the filming. This appears consistent with Israeli claims to the media that two salvos were intercepted, hours apart, by fighter jets and air defense systems.[2]
Just before launching a drone as part of the attacks, the speaker identifies the launch as "part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," the name of the operation given by Hamas to its surprise assault on southern Israel on October 7.
During one drone launch, a piece of the projectile, about one-fifth the size of the aircraft, falls out of the drone shortly after takeoff. A voice in the background shouts something after the incident. A similar occurrence takes place later in the video, but it is not clear if the video shows the same event from two different angles or if the video shows two separate incidents.
[1] Telegram, November 1, 2023.
[2]ABCnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemens-houthi-rebels-claim-attacks-israel-drawing-main-104514030, accessed November 1, 2023.
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