It has been a week of drama in the conflict between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Israel, with a drone attack on the southern Israeli city of Eilat leaving at least 22 injured, two of them seriously. The attack, which came just as Rosh Hashanah was ending, shook the Red Sea resort town, normally teeming with visitors but now populated by smoke, pandemonium, and emergency alarms.
The Yemeni drone, according to Israeli authorities, evaded Israel’s air defense systems and crashed close to restaurants and shops in the center of Eilat city. The area was reached by rescue teams, who took the injured—most with shrapnel wounds—to Yoseftal Hospital. Among them was seriously hurt a 60-year-old man hit in the limbs, and a 26-year-old man wounded in the chest. The Magen David Adom ambulance service stated that the majority of injuries were moderate to light, but there was an evident psychological effect on residents and visitors.
The Iran-aligned Houthis were swift in attributing fault. The spokesman for the group, Yahya Saree, stated that the operation had been a successful raid against various Israeli targets, emphasizing their campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis have indicated again and again that the attacks will continue to come until there is a Gaza ceasefire in place, characterizing their efforts as part of a mass resistance against what they term Israeli aggression.
It is not an isolated incident. Eilat city has been attacked multiple times in the last few months, with drones and missiles typically being intercepted by Israel’s advanced air defense system. But mishaps have occurred, as in this attack and another in which a drone hit the arrivals hall of Ramon Airport. The Israeli military testified that attempts at interception were made but were insufficient to prevent the drone from carrying out its mission. Reports initially indicate air defense systems failed to respond as they should have, raising questions as to the effectiveness of Israel’s multi-layered missile defense.
The arsenal for Israeli air defense features Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, and more recently, the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system from the United States. All of these are intended to intercept short-range rockets through to long-range ballistic missiles. While the Iron Dome basks in accolades for shooting down at a very successful rate, fresh intelligence has shown weaknesses, particularly to newer generations of drones and missiles that the Houthis and Iranian backers have been building. The Houthis have even boasted of employing hypersonic ballistic missiles and advanced drones that are radar-evading, rendering Israel’s defense very challenging.
The increased violence between Israel and the Houthis is part of an extended regional conflict that was sparked by the Gaza war, which started with the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led militant attack on Israel. The Houthis have also bombarded Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles since then, and although most of their attacks focused on Eilat, at times they reached central Israel and Tel Aviv. The majority of the missiles are destroyed or short, but a few have had casualty effects and widespread disruption. The Houthis have also bombed Red Sea shipping, causing disturbance to global maritime trade and attracting international military coalitions.
Israel has retaliated with airstrikes against Houthi-held Yemen, including its capital Sanaa and port city Hodeidah. The retaliatory attacks have killed Houthi top brass, including their self-styled Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, and injured civilians. The cycle of attack and counterattack has escalated, each side threatening to escalate further if its conditions are not met.
For Eilat residents and the wider citizenry of southern Israel, drone and missile attacks are a cold reality. Sirens of air raids, gunpoint evacuations, and constant threat of injury are facts. The Israeli government has asked residents to heed Home Front Command advice and stay alert and promised a “painful blow” in retaliation for any attack on Israeli cities.
As the war rages on, how effective the Israeli air defenses and the Houthis’ developing tactics will be will be of utmost interest. The Eilat attack was a stark reminder of how wars in the region can spill into the most unexpected of locales and harm innocent civilians far removed from the battlefield.