After Houthi drone hits Eilat hotel, DM Katz threatens: ‘Blue-White flag will fly over capital of Yemen’

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz renewed his warnings to Yemen’s Houthi terror group after a drone launched by the group struck a hotel in the southern city of Eilat on Thursday, while two additional drones and a ballistic missile were intercepted by Israeli air defenses.

Footage from the incident showed a drone slamming into the side of a building in Eilat. There were no reports of injuries caused by the impact.

Israel Police confirmed the impact of a projectile, calling on residents to stay away from the area, stating, “Officers have secured the impact site, and police bomb disposal experts are working to both identify the object and remove the remains.”

Israeli media reported that the drone exploded near the hotel entrance. The Jacob Hotel later stated, “Thank God, there are no casualties. We are now assessing the extent of the damage to the hotel.”

Surveillance camera footage shows the moment an explosive drone struck a hotel in Israel's southernmost city of Eilat.

The strike caused damage but no injuries.

The IDF said the drone was launched "from the east," usually code for Yemen. The Houthis in Yemen have not yet taken… pic.twitter.com/lqPGOVB6ZU

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 18, 2025

Staff at the nearby Neve Eilat Hotel told Ynet News, “Fortunately, the hotel was not damaged, and we are operating as usual.”

Following the four separate attacks by the Houthis in the span of several hours, Katz addressed the Houthis’ leader on 𝕏: “Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, your time will come. You will be sent to meet your government and all the envoys of the Axis of Evil who are waiting in the depths of Hell.”

Earlier this month, Israel carried out an airstrike that destroyed significant elements of the Houthi government.

Katz added, “The slogan, ‘Death to Israel, curse upon the Jews’ written on the Houthi flag, will be replaced by the blue-and-white Israeli flag that will fly in the capital of united Yemen.”

The drone strike on the hotel set off alarm sirens; however, for reasons still unclear, it was not intercepted. The IDF said it would investigate the incident.

Shortly afterward, the military reported that two additional drones launched from Yemen were intercepted without triggering alarm sirens. Later in the evening, a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis set off sirens across central Israel but was also shot down.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree later claimed the group had fired two “hypersonic” missiles toward the Tel Aviv area, along with drone strikes aimed at Ramon Airport near Eilat and a military site near Beersheva.

Last week, a Houthi drone struck the Passenger Terminal at Eilat’s Ramon Airport, wounding two people and causing some damage.

Since the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in mid-March, the Yemeni terrorists have fired 87 ballistic missiles and at least 40 drones at Israel, the vast majority of which were intercepted.

On Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force struck the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, which the IDF said is “used by the Houthi terrorist regime for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel and its allies.”

IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said on Thursday, “We remain in a multi-front defense operation and continue to strike and defend at all times in multiple arenas, near and far. This week we struck the Port of Hodeidah in Yemen, which constitutes a strategic asset for the Houthi terrorist regime.”

“The IDF will act wherever required, will eliminate every threat to the State of Israel, and will prevent attempts to rebuild terrorist infrastructure, in Lebanon, in Yemen, and elsewhere.”