A Houthi drone crashed outside of a hotel in Eilat, causing damage to the building.
By Rachel Avraham
A UAV that was launched by the Houthi terrorist organization set off sirens in the city of Eilat on Thursday evening before hitting the entrance to one of the city’s hotels, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, no casualties were reported. However, the Jerusalem Post reported that damage was caused to the hotel building in Eilat. Arutz Sheva reported that the airspace over Ramon International Airport was closed temporarily.
The incident came shortly after air raid sirens sounded in the city, sending residents and tourists into shelters, Yedioth Achronot reported.. According to the report, witnesses described hearing a loud explosion and seeing smoke near the shoreline hotel district. Footage from the scene showed rescue forces working to extinguish a blaze sparked by the drone impact, the Times of Israel reported.
Police said officers from the Eilat district were dispatched immediately and cordoned off the site, Yedioth Achronot added. “We urge residents to follow instructions, avoid approaching the scene, and not touch any rocket debris that may contain explosives,” police said in a statement, adding that suspicious objects should be reported directly to Israel’s 100 emergency hotline.
The IDF confirmed: “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in Eilat, a UAV that was launched from the east fell in the area of Eilat. Search and rescue teams are operating in the area where the report was received regarding the impact. The public is requested to continue to follow the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines and further guidelines issued.”
Eilat’s Municipality announced that “it was decided to postpone the Selichot performance scheduled to take place on Palm Beach, despite the fact that there is no change in the Home Front Command’s defense policy.”
In the following hours, two more drones from Yemen were intercepted, and later in the evening, the Houthis fired a missile at Israel, which sparked sirens throughout the country’s center but was also shot down by Israeli air defenses, the Times of Israel reported. The IDF said the ballistic missile had been intercepted by air defenses. No injuries or damage were reported, the Times of Israel added. Sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Holon, Petah Tikva, Modiin, Rishon Lezion, Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem and other areas.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed terror group in Yemen, have claimed responsibility for a series of drone and missile attacks on Israel in recent months, many targeting the Red Sea port city of Eilat, I24 News reported. According to the report, Thursday’s strike marked one of the closest direct hits on a civilian site in the city since the escalation of hostilities began.
The Houthis have targeted the area of Eilat repeatedly in recent weeks, with a drone earlier this month hitting the Ramon Airport outside the city, causing damage and lightly wounding one person, the Times of Israel reported. Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 87 ballistic missiles and at least 40 drones at Israel, the Times of Israel added.
Photo from Oneindia News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT3xv9gVw54
