Houthi drone from Yemen hit near southern airport, halting flights, Israel says

TEL AVIV, Israel — A drone launched from Yemen by the Houthi militant group has struck Israel’s southern airport, leading to the closure of airspace over southern Israel and the suspension of flights, as confirmed by the Israeli military on Sunday.

Israel stated that the Houthis deployed multiple drones, with some being intercepted outside of Israel. One of the drones hit the passenger hall of the Ramon International Airport near the southern Israeli city of Eilat, according to the Israel Airports Authority.

In a previous incident in May, a Houthi missile struck near Israel’s main airport, resulting in minor injuries to four individuals and prompting many airlines to cancel flights to Israel for several months. Subsequently, Israel targeted and destroyed the main airport in the rebel-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

One individual sustained minor injuries at the airport due to shrapnel from the drone, as reported by Israel’s rescue services, Magen David Adom.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, praised the attack on social media, describing it as “a unique, qualitative military operation.”

“Enemy airports are unsafe, and foreigners should evacuate for their own safety,” he remarked. “Other critical targets are also under threat.”

The recent attack occurred two weeks after an Israeli strike on Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen, which resulted in the death of the prime minister of the Houthi government and several members of his cabinet. Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was the highest-ranking Houthi official to perish in the Israeli-U.S. offensive against the Iranian-backed rebels.

Following al-Rahawi’s demise, the rebels pledged to intensify their assaults on Israel and on ships traversing a vital Red Sea maritime route near Yemen.

In their recent offensives, the rebels launched projectiles on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times a day, and also started using cluster munitions in missile attacks on Israel. Cluster munitions disperse smaller explosives that are harder to intercept, increasing the likelihood of breaching Israel’s air defense system.

The Ramon Airport, inaugurated in 2019, is situated approximately 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the resort town of Eilat at the southern tip of Israel. Although it caters to both domestic and international flights, it is considerably smaller than Israel’s primary airport, Ben Gurion Airport, located in central Israel.

Furthermore, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed his commitment to advancing Israel’s campaign in Gaza City, amid faltering negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

“Our ongoing operation in Gaza, particularly in the final significant stronghold of Gaza City, is part of our endeavor to completely dismantle the chokehold of the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu declared at the commencement of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu asserted that over 100,000 Palestinians had evacuated Gaza City ahead of the operation, though international organizations disputed this figure, as Palestinians questioned the safety of any location in Gaza.

Until last week, only a few thousand individuals were leaving each day, with approximately 41,000 evacuees since mid-August out of an estimated 1 million people in the vicinity of Gaza City, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, efforts to revive talks between Israel and Hamas are encountering obstacles.

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, affirmed that the militant group will not disarm until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. However, he indicated that Hamas is prepared for a prolonged ceasefire and is willing to release the remaining captives in Gaza in exchange for several Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Naim mentioned that Hamas is awaiting Israel’s response to a 60-day ceasefire proposal put forth by Egyptian and Qatari mediators the previous month.

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations.

There are still 48 hostages held in Gaza, with Israel suspecting around 20 to be alive. During the attack that triggered the conflict on October 7, 2023, militants abducted 251 individuals and caused the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel.

On Sunday morning, at least 13 Palestinians, including six children and three women, were killed in Israeli airstrikes, as reported by local hospitals. Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza indicated that eight individuals died in an Israeli raid on a school housing displaced persons. The Israeli military clarified that it targeted militants in the vicinity of the school and had warned civilians to evacuate before the strike. The military accused Hamas of concealing weapons and combatants within civilian areas.

Five other individuals lost their lives in attacks on tents and apartment buildings in central Gaza and Gaza City, according to local medical facilities. Israel’s military did not provide immediate comments on these additional strikes.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported a total of 64,368 fatalities and 162,776 injuries since the conflict began. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but notes that over half of the casualties were women and children.

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Magdy contributed from Cairo.