Houthi drone strikes Eilat, injuring 20

The latest in a series of drone strikes from Yemen’s Houthi terror group has hit Eilat, injuring at least 20 people, two of them seriously.

The drone strike, which took place on Wednesday, was reportedly undetected by the Israeli military’s advanced warning systems. It is understood that the drone struck a hotel, reportedly damaging some of the rooms in the process.

This is the third such strike by the Houthis in recent weeks, with sites targeted including the southern city’s Ramon airport.

A social media post from the IDF shared some footage of the strike, stating that: “a UAV launched by the Houthi terror regime hits a hotel in Eilat. As families welcomed the Jewish new year, the Houthis targeted Israeli civilians. This is what terror looks like.”

Last month, Israel carried out a strike on the Houthi government, reportedly killing most of their senior political leadership. The Houthis, who are backed by the Iranian regime, are a major force in Yemen’s ongoing civil war, controlling most of the West of the country and setting up their own government in opposition to the official Yemeni state. They have organised concerted attacks on international shipping, supposedly in response to the international community’s lack of action against Israel’s war in Gaza. The official slogan of the Houthi movement is “God is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse be upon the Jews, Victory to Islam”.

In a statement from the country’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, the politician wished “a full recovery to those injured in the drone attack in Eilat”.

He also indicated that there would be serious retribution for the strike, saying: “the Houthi terrorists refuse to learn from Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza – and they will learn the hard way. Those who harm Israel will be harmed sevenfold.”

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 Eli Lankri, the mayor of Eilat, called on the government to “strike the Houthis hard” in retaliation.

According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Lankri after the strike, telling him he had spoken with the senior IDF command about improving Eilat’s air defences.