Guests at a hotel in the Red Sea resort town of Eilat said Thursday they heard a loud blast and smelled burning after a drone launched from Yemen struck near the entrance of a neighboring hotel, causing damage but no injuries.
“We heard a noise, we didn’t realize it was so close, and then we smelled something burning and saw smoke,” said Shai and Lior, two visitors staying at a hotel adjacent to the Jacob Hotel, whose entrance courtyard was hit. “We saw that it fell right next to the hotel next to us.”
Houthi drone strikes entrance courtyard of Eilat hotel
(Video: from social media)
Shortly after the strike, the Houthis launched another projectile that triggered air raid sirens across central Israel, sending millions into shelters. The military said the missile was intercepted and there were no casualties.
Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri said the latest incidents recalled the early months of the war, when the city endured repeated Houthi attacks. “The recent events should trouble us. The Houthi threat must be removed,” he said. “Once again it ended as a miracle, but I demand this incident be investigated, just like the strike at Ramon Airport.”
Lankri noted that Eilat had faced not only the direct threat of Houthi fire but also severe economic challenges. “For almost six months, the city was on the verge of collapse because of its reliance on tourism,” he said, adding that Eilat had hosted more than 60,000 people from northern and southern Israel displaced by fighting.
(Video: from social media)
The mayor urged the government to adopt a broad plan to strengthen the city’s security and economy. “Eilat must be strong — militarily, economically, medically and in terms of transportation,” he said.
Air raid sirens following the later missile launch were activated in cities including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramat Hasharon, Modiin, Rehovot, Rishon Lezion and Holon. Emergency services reported no injuries.