In rare hit, drone fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels strikes Israel’s southern airport

Tel Aviv: A drone fired by the Houthi militants in Yemen breached Israel’s multilayered air defences on Sunday and slammed into the country’s southern airport, the Israeli military said, briefly shutting down commercial airspace and diverting flights over southern Israel.

Israel said Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked with several drones, most of which were intercepted outside of Israel.

At least one of the drones slipped through Israel’s defence system and crashed into the passenger terminal at the Ramon International Airport near the resort city of Eilat, the Israeli Airports Authority said, blowing out glass windows and sending smoke plumes billowing.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said it treated a 63-year-old man for light shrapnel wounds.

The damage to Ramon Airport appeared limited and within a couple of hours it reopened as normal flights resumed.

The attack comes days after Israeli strikes on Yemen’s rebel-held capital of Sanaa killed the Houthi prime minister and other officials in his Cabinet in a major escalation of the nearly 2-year-old conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group in Yemen.

Saying that they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians, the Houthis began firing missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas’ October 7 attack ignited the Israeli military’s devastating campaign in Gaza.

Houthi drone hits Israeli airport

After Israel’s targeted killing of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi last Thursday, the militants vowed to escalate their attacks targeting Israel and merchant ships navigating the vital trade route through the Red Sea off Yemen.

The Houthis hailed Sunday’s attack on Ramon Airport — some 19 kilometres (12 miles) from Eilat on Israel’s southern tip — as “a unique, qualitative

military operation.”