Video and images from emergency responders and the Israeli military
show the drone landed near stores and restaurants. The drone was fired during
the final hours of the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish New
Year.
Houthis have repeatedly launched drones and ballistic
missiles at Eilat and other areas in southern Israel, but these launches are
frequently intercepted. It’s unclear how Wednesday’s drone penetrated Israel’s
air defenses.
“Interception attempts were made, and search and rescue
teams are operating in the area where the report was received regarding the
impact,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Many of those who were injured in the attack suffered
shrapnel from the explosion, according to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s
emergency response service.
A 60-year-old man who was seriously injured was struck by
shrapnel in his limbs, while a seriously injured 26-year-old man suffered
shrapnel wounds to his chest, MDA said. One other person suffered moderate
injuries, MDA said.
The IDF said in a separate statement that its troops “are
assisting in evacuating civilians from the area and providing initial medical
care.”
“An IDF helicopter was dispatched and is currently assisting
in evacuating injured individuals from the scene,” it added.
The Houthi militant group in Yemen later claimed
responsibility for the attack, calling it a “qualitative military operation.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to revenge
against Houthis following the attack on the city.
“The Houthi terrorists refuse to learn from Iran, Lebanon,
and Gaza – and they will learn the hard way,” Katz said in a statement.
“Whoever harms Israel will be harmed sevenfold,” Katz added.
Earlier in September, a drone launched from Yemen by Houthi
rebels hit the arrivals hall at Ramon Airport in southern Israel on Sunday, the
Israeli military and the Israel Airports Authority said.
No sirens were sounded, the IDF said, since the drone was
identified but not classified as hostile. An “extensive investigation” was
expected.
Since Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza began in October 2023,
the country has come under fire from missiles and drones from the Houthis in
Yemen, who claim to strike Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel has carried out waves of strikes targeting Houthi
military facilities and civilian infrastructure the IDF says is used by the
Houthis. But the long-range exchange of fire has escalated recently.
In late August, Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed to take revenge
for the killing of their prime minister and other political leaders by Israeli
airstrikes earlier that month.
