An unmanned aerial vehicle, which Israel claimed was launched from Yemen, struck the passenger hall of Ramon Airport north of Eilat in southern occupied Palestine on Sunday. The attack temporarily halted air traffic and left several Israelis with minor injuries.
According to Israel’s emergency services, “a man and a woman with light injuries were transported to Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat after the drone hit Ramon Airport.” The Israeli daily Maariv also reported that several others suffered panic attacks.
Columns of smoke rose over the airport as chaos spread among those present, witnesses told the paper.
Houthi Statement on Expanded Operations
The armed forces of Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) confirmed responsibility for the operation, declaring that their drone corps carried out “a wide-ranging military operation using multiple UAVs targeting several locations in the Negev, Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat), Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Jaffa (Tel Aviv).”
According to their statement, the strikes included:
- One drone on Ramon Airport — which hit directly, halting airport activity and suspending air traffic.
- Three drones against two sensitive military sites in the Negev.
- One drone targeting a vital site in Ashkelon.
- One drone targeting Ben Gurion Airport near Lod.
- Two drones striking a critical facility in Ashdod.
The Houthis stressed that the operation “achieved its objectives successfully by the grace of Allah, while Israeli and American interception systems failed to detect or stop several of the drones.”
They further pledged to intensify operations, declaring:
“We will not retreat from our position of support for Gaza regardless of the consequences. Yemen continues to advance its weapons to make them more effective and impactful.”
Warning to Airlines
The group issued a direct warning to international aviation companies:
“All airports inside occupied Palestine are unsafe and will be targeted continuously. The armed forces bear no responsibility for any consequences, and airlines must leave and refrain from returning to these airports as they are no longer secure.”
Israeli Reactions and Damage
Israeli Channel 13 reported that three Houthi drones were intercepted by the air force near the border with Egypt, but “a fourth drone infiltrated Israeli airspace and directly struck Ramon Airport.” Emergency teams treated additional passengers suffering panic.
The Israeli army admitted that “another drone launched from Yemen fell near Ramon Airport without prior warning sirens being activated,” confirming that the incident is under investigation.
Eilat’s mayor, Eli Lankri, described the incident as “deeply concerning,” while the Airports Authority confirmed the drone landed directly in the passenger hall, forcing the suspension of departures and arrivals.
Israeli Channel 12 said smoke was seen billowing from the arrivals terminal, where significant damage occurred. The hall was evacuated, the airport closed, and airspace over Ramon was sealed. A Israir flight en route to the airport was diverted back to Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv.
Passengers later reported that no warning sirens had sounded before impact. Channel 12 added that air defense systems are probing whether the drone entered from the south or the east — and why it was not detected.
Earlier, the Israeli army announced it had intercepted three drones “heading from Yemen,” with two downed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Sirens reportedly sounded in the settlements of Be’er Milka, Kmehin, Kadish Barnea, and Nitzana.
Context: Gaza Genocide
The Houthis have repeatedly declared that their drone and missile operations — along with attacks on ships linked to or bound for Israel — are in direct response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel, with U.S. backing, has carried out mass killings, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement in Gaza, in defiance of international appeals and rulings by the International Court of Justice.
The genocide has so far resulted in 64,368 martyrs and 162,367 wounded, the majority of them women and children. Over 9,000 remain missing, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Famine conditions have already claimed 387 Palestinian lives, including 138 children.
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