by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
EILAT, ISRAEL (Worthy News) – A drone launched from Yemen struck the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Wednesday evening, wounding more than 20 people in one of the most serious Houthi attacks on the city to date.
The unmanned aircraft slammed into the tourist district near the busy Mall Hayam shopping center, sending crowds of residents and visitors fleeing for cover. The strike occurred just across from one of Eilat’s most popular commercial hubs, packed with tourists and locals celebrating the holiday week.
Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services said they treated around 19 people at the scene, including two in serious condition. One victim, a 60-year-old man, sustained severe limb injuries, while another, a 26-year-old man, suffered shrapnel wounds to the chest. Another person was moderately wounded, and roughly 15 others sustained light injuries or shock. Several of the seriously wounded were evacuated by helicopter to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
“The reports we received spoke of a strike near a building in the heart of the tourist district. Our teams arrived quickly, while firefighters put out the blaze,” said MDA paramedic Eyal Dadon.
Failed Interceptions and Security Concerns
The Israeli Air Force confirmed that multiple attempts were made to intercept the drone using Iron Dome systems, but the aircraft managed to evade Israel’s layered defenses before exploding in the crowded area. Sirens were triggered across Eilat, and residents reported hearing several loud explosions.
Police immediately cordoned off the impact site, and bomb disposal experts were dispatched to analyze debris and determine whether fragments came from interceptor missiles or the drone itself. Search and rescue teams continued to operate in the area late into the night.
The IDF confirmed the drone had been launched from Yemen and vowed to investigate how it bypassed defensive systems. Since March 18, when Israel resumed its offensive against Hamas in Gaza, the Iran-backed Houthi militia has launched nearly 90 ballistic missiles and at least 41 drones toward Israel.
Mounting Local and International Reaction
Eilat Mayor Eli Lankari condemned the repeated attacks, noting that this was the third Houthi drone crash in the city in less than two weeks. “Although they are trying to disrupt our lives, they will not succeed,” he said. “The IDF must provide a full defensive envelope for Eilat — in the air, at sea, and on land.”
International leaders also condemned the strike. German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert said the world must not normalize Houthi attempts to kill civilians. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that he “strongly condemns” the attack, calling it an assault “right in the middle of the Rosh Hashanah holiday,” and expressed solidarity with the wounded and their families.
Wednesday’s incident follows a similar attack last week when another Houthi drone crashed into the courtyard of an Eilat hotel, causing no casualties.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A Christian pastor detained in Nicaragua since July 2025 has been released from prison but placed under house arrest along with five other Christian believers, Worthy News established on Thursday.
An injured Christian pastor in eastern India says recalling Bible verses gave him strength to survive hours of brutal abuse by a Hindu mob that accused him of converting Hindus to Christianity.
U.S. forces carried out five sets of precision strikes against Islamic State targets across Syria between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the U.S. military’s U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday.
U.S. forces carried out five sets of precision strikes against Islamic State targets across Syria between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the U.S. military’s U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Feb. 5 that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, marking the first such swap in five months and the most tangible outcome yet from U.S.-brokered talks held in Abu Dhabi. The exchange followed multiple days of trilateral negotiations involving delegations from Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow.
The Supreme Court of the United States on Wednesday declined to take up a legal challenge to California’s newly drawn congressional map, allowing the state to proceed with district lines that effectively eliminate five Republican-held U.S. House seats.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has entered negotiations with the United States because it fears potential military action, as both sides prepare for high-stakes talks expected to take place in Oman. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Trump said Tehran “doesn’t want us to hit them,” adding that a U.S. naval fleet is in the region as pressure increases.