22 wounded as Houthi drone from Yemen hits Eilat

Twenty-two people were injured on Wednesday evening when a drone launched by Houthi terrorists in Yemen struck the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

Magen David Adom said its medics treated victims at the scene and evacuated them, including two in serious condition, to the city’s Yoseftal Medical Center.

Video circulating online showed people scrambling for cover as air-raid sirens sounded, with the UAV appearing to strike near a major shopping center adjacent to Eilat’s main boardwalk.

The Israel Defense Forces said that interception attempts were made, and that search-and-rescue teams were operating at the impact site.

The Israeli Air Force opened an investigation after the two Iron Dome interceptor missiles failed to down the UAV.

The Israel Police urged residents to stay away from the crash site and avoid touching debris, warning it may contain explosives.

The military urged the public to continue adhering to Home Front Command guidelines.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday night with Eilat Mayor Eli Lankari, aiming to reassure residents and bolster local confidence.

He wished a speedy recovery to those injured and warned that any attack on Israeli cities would be met with a strong response against the Houthi terrorist regime, citing past actions as precedent.

Netanyahu also told the mayor that he had consulted with the IDF’s senior command to explore ways to strengthen the city’s defenses against aerial threats.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also called the mayor to express solidarity with the city’s residents and visitors, and to wish a speedy recovery to those injured.

“Eilat is a special city, a pillar of Israel’s national security and tourism,” Herzog said. “It is important to do everything necessary to support its residents, maintain daily life and resilience and encourage visits and recreation in the city.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday night wished a full recovery to those injured in Eilat.

“The Houthi terrorists refuse to learn from Iran, Lebanon and Gaza—and they will learn the hard way,” Katz said. “Those who attack Israel will be struck back sevenfold.”

Last Thursday, an unmanned aerial vehicle that was launched toward Israel “from the east” impacted in the courtyard of a hotel in Eilat. No injuries were reported.

A second drone was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force minutes later, the IDF said.

The term “from the east” is typically used by the IDF to refer to attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Approximately an hour later, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that triggered air-raid alerts across central Israel, sending millions of civilians to bomb shelters.

On Sept. 16, the IDF struck Hudaydah Port in Houthi-controlled Yemen, accusing the terrorist group of using the facility to transfer Iranian-supplied weapons for attacks on Israel and its allies.

The strike targeted a “military infrastructure site,” with the IDF saying it was “in response to the repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel, including the launch of UAVs and surface-to-surface missiles.”

The Houthis have carried out missile and drone attacks on the Jewish state, including a direct missile hit near Ben-Gurion International Airport on May 4, since the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

A Houthi explosive drone crashed into Ramon Airport near Eilat on Sept. 7, shortly after the IAF intercepted three UAVs launched from Yemen.

Jerusalem has conducted several rounds of strikes against the Houthis, including an Aug. 28 operation that killed their “prime minister” and several other Cabinet officials.

Defense Minister Katz said on Friday that Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Houthis, and his government would be sent to “the depths of hell.”

“Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, your time will come,” Katz said, adding that he and his subordinates will meet “all the envoys of the Axis of Evil.”

The slogan “Death to Israel, curse upon the Jews,” written on the Houthi flag, Katz added, “will be replaced by the blue-and-white Israeli flag that will fly in the capital of united Yemen.”