Israeli military officials stated on Sunday that a drone belonging to the Houthi armed group in Yemen had breached multiple layers of defense systems and struck the arrival hall of an airport in southern Israel, leading to a temporary closure of the commercial airspace and flights crossing southern Israel being diverted.
The Israeli Airports Authority reported that at least one drone had penetrated the Israeli defense system and crashed into the passenger terminal of Ramon Airport near the resort city of Eilat, causing shattered glass windows and billowing smoke to rise from the terminal.
The Israeli Defense Forces mentioned that no air raid sirens were sounded during the attack on the airport terminal and confirmed that they are currently investigating the incident.
Israel has multiple defense systems in place to counter missiles and drones, making the rare occurrence of no alarm sounding during an attack a matter of concern.
The Israeli military stated that the Houthi armed group in Yemen had launched several drones, with most of them being intercepted outside Israeli territory.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Airports Authority mentioned that following the incident, the southern airspace over Ramon Airport was briefly closed but resumed operations approximately 90 minutes later. Ramon Airport is one of the few international airports in Israel, primarily serving the Red Sea resort city of Eilat in the south.
Videos circulating on social media showed shattered windows in the airport arrival hall with glass shards scattered on the ground.
The Israeli emergency medical service, Magen David Adom (MDA), received reports at 2:35 PM local time that a drone had crashed in the vicinity of Ramon Airport. MDA reported that two individuals sustained minor injuries in the attack, and the extent of damage to the airport was limited.
The Houthi armed group claimed responsibility for the attack.
This attack comes days after Israeli airstrikes targeted the Houthi rebels’ controlled capital of Sanaa in Yemen, resulting in the deaths of the so-called “prime minister” Ahmed al-Rahawi and several officials, marking a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and this Iranian-backed radical group over the past two years.
Following the targeted elimination of Houthi armed group leaders by Israel last Thursday, the organization vowed to escalate attacks on Israel and commercial ships in the Red Sea.
In recent months, the Houthi armed group has intensified its aerial assaults on Israel, including the use of weapons with cluster warheads that can disperse numerous small bombs over a wider area, posing a challenge to Israel’s defense system, which typically intercepts most drones and missiles.