22 Injured After Yemeni Drone Strikes Israeli Resort Town

Yemeni Drone Strike Injures 22 in Israeli Resort Town

Police confirmed the drone landed in Eilat's downtown area.

According to Israel's military, a drone originating from Yemen hit the southern resort city of Eilat on Wednesday, with emergency services reporting nearly two dozen people wounded in the attack.

A statement from the military indicated that the drone "fell in the area of Eilat" along the Red Sea coastline after defense systems failed to intercept it, marking the second such incident within a matter of days.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service reported treating 22 casualties, including two men aged 26 and 60 who sustained serious shrapnel wounds and are in critical condition.

Additionally, one individual suffered moderate injuries with shrapnel penetrating their back, while 19 others experienced "shrapnel and other injuries" classified as light condition, according to the medical service.

Law enforcement officials stated that the drone crashed in Eilat's city center, causing damage in an area frequently visited by tourists.

Video footage circulating on social media platforms, which AFP was unable to independently verify, showed a drone flying over the resort town before crashing, with smoke rising from the impact site.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred during the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year celebration.

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have previously claimed responsibility for similar attacks throughout the Gaza conflict since late 2023.

In a conversation with Israel's Channel 12, Eilat mayor Eli Lankri urged the government to "strike the Huthis hard" in response to the drone attack.

Lankri further noted that recurring Huthi attacks have disrupted operations at Eilat's port facilities.

Earlier, the army reported that air raid sirens sounded throughout Eilat, a popular vacation destination at Israel's southernmost point near the Egyptian and Jordanian borders, where authorities had reported another drone strike the previous Thursday.

Yemen's Huthi rebels have consistently launched missiles and drones toward Israel since the Gaza war began, with the group stating they were acting in solidarity with their Palestinian ally Hamas, whose October 2023 attack triggered the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile in the Gaza Strip, Israeli military forces continued their offensive on Gaza City on Wednesday, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate from the area.