A drone launched from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group struck the entrance of a hotel in Eilat on Thursday afternoon, sparking a fire but causing no injuries, Israeli authorities said. Footage from the southern resort city showed the moment the drone hit, as police and rescue teams rushed to secure the area and extinguish the blaze. Hours later, the Houthis launched additional drones and a ballistic missile at Israel, with sirens sounding across central cities including Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Holon, Petah Tikva, Rishon Lezion, Beit Shemesh, and Jerusalem. Israeli air defenses intercepted all incoming threats.
“Officers have secured the impact site, and police bomb disposal experts are working to both identify the object and remove the remains,” Israel Police said in a statement. The IDF confirmed that search and rescue teams were dispatched and announced that two additional drones fired from Yemen were shot down. The military also confirmed that a ballistic missile aimed at central Israel was intercepted before impact.
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, the Houthis — who openly declare the slogan “Death to Israel, death to America” — have intensified their campaign against the Jewish state. According to the IDF, the group has fired at least 87 ballistic missiles and more than 40 drones toward Israel in the past year. Many of the strikes have targeted Eilat, including one earlier this month that damaged Ramon Airport and lightly injured a civilian. Israel has responded with strikes on Houthi military infrastructure, including facilities in Hodeida and the capital Sanaa, where senior Houthi leaders were killed last month.
The Houthis are widely recognized as a proxy of Iran, part of a regional network that includes Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. While launching attacks against Israel, the Houthi insurgency has also created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Years of conflict have pushed millions of Yemenis into famine and disease, with the group accused of diverting resources to fund Iranian-supplied weapons while the civilian population suffers.
