20 Israelis wounded – 2 seriously – after Houthi drone hits southern city of Eilat despite 2 interception attempts

An explosion caused by a suicide drone launched by Houthi terrorists in Yemen wounded at least 20 Israelis in the southern city of Eilat on Wednesday evening, including two in serious condition.

The drone struck a commercial area near a hotel on the Red Sea, which is currently full of vacationers during the Jewish holidays.

Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue services said it was treating over 20 victims, two of whom suffered serious injuries. They were first evacuated to Eilat's Yoseftal Hospital before being flown to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva with helicopters provided by the Israeli Air Force (IAF).

The other casualties include one person in moderate condition, while the rest sustained light injuries from shrapnel, contusions, or shock.

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The IAF is currently investigating why the Iron Dome aerial defense system was not able to shoot down the drone, despite two attempts to intercept it.

Army Radio reported that the preliminary investigation found the drone was not detected in time and was only identified moments before it reached the city.

Sirens were activated in time to give residents 30–40 seconds to reach shelter, in line with policy.

The investigation has not yet determined whether the projectile’s low altitude was responsible for the two failed Iron Dome interception attempts.

An IAF fighter jet and a combat helicopter were also scrambled to intercept, but arrived too late.

An Eilat resident told Ynet News: “The city is packed with tourists right now. A few more meters and it would have hit the hotel. We heard a loud boom – but there was a siren, and we managed to get into the protected space. I was sure it was near our house.”

“Right after the siren, we saw interception attempts in the sky – it was on the way to the hotel and the shelter,” eyewitness Tal Shabtai told Channel 12.

“Suddenly, we heard a loud explosion, and when we came outside, we saw the supermarket shattered, windows blown out, and burning palm trees. All the rescue forces arrived quickly and began evacuating people from the area.”

MDA paramedic Eyal Dadon recounted: “There were two fire centers near a commercial building. The wounded were in a commercial area and gathered at a designated point. We began evacuating to Yoseftal in coordination with an MDA helicopter. There will be further evacuations to other hospitals later.”

IDF soldiers, firefighters, and police officers inspected the scene soon after.

A Fire and Rescue Services officer later reported that all fires had been extinguished and the presence of explosives at the site was ruled out.

“This is the third impact in less than two weeks. Even though they’re trying to disrupt our lives, it won’t succeed,” said Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri.

Last Thursday, a separate Houthi drone attack near another hotel in Eilat left several people wounded.

Lankri called for the military to remove the threat posed by the Yemeni terror group: “The IDF knows how to do it, and it must be done. The answer to the Houthis is to continue living our lives and maintaining routine, while conducting a thorough investigation of recent events and continuing to provide full defensive coverage for the residents and guests of Eilat – with a broad protective shield over the region, by sea, air, and land.”

The suicide drone attack was widely captured in dramatic footage, showing the large drone flying at an extremely low altitude, which made detection and interception difficult.

The IDF later urged the public not to film hostile projectiles but to “follow Home Front Command guidelines. Upon receiving an alert, enter a protected space for ten minutes – these instructions save lives.”

German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert commented on the strike, saying the world should not shrug off the constant attacks on Israel.

“A Houthi drone hits Eilat and injures several people – I wish them all a full recovery. The world mustn’t get used to the Houthis‘ trying to kill Israeli civilians just because they say they act for the people of Gaza. Whom, of course, they do not help one bit,” Seibert wrote on 𝕏.