ISMAILIA, Egypt, Dec  16, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - The Egyptian air force shot down
a drone off the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday down the coast from the Israeli
border, state-linked media reported.

       Witnesses said they had seen a second flying object crash on land further
up the coast.

       Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they had fired multiple drones at
southern Israel.

       A Huthi spokesman said on X, formerly Twitter, that the operation,
targeting "sensitive" sites inside Israel, was part of the rebels' campaign to
pressure Israel to halt its "aggression" in Gaza.

       Egyptian television channel Al-Qahera reported "the crash of an
unidentified flying object in Egyptian territorial waters near the city of
Dahab".

       It quoted witnesses as saying "air defences detected the flying object and
dealt with it immediately."

       A source in the security services told AFP that it was a drone of which
"the origin is still unknown".

       In recent weeks, Yemen's Huthi rebels have stepped up their operations in
support of Gaza, repeatedly targeting shipping passing through the Red Sea,
whether or not it is headed to Israeli ports.

       The attacks have caused major disruption to the key shipping lane between
Asia and Europe, with two global firms announcing they were redirecting their
vessels.

       The Huthis have carried out previous drone launches towards southern Israel
since Hamas launched its shock cross-border attack on October 7, triggering an
all-out offensive against the militant group which rules Gaza.

       In late October, six people were wounded in Egypt when two drones came down
in the Sinai Peninsula.