The IDF continued investigating Wednesday’s drone strike in Eilat, which hit near the Mall HaYam shopping center and left about 20 people wounded. Two were seriously hurt, one was moderately injured, and the rest suffered light shrapnel wounds. Three of the casualties were flown by helicopter to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, while the others were treated at Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat.
Two Iron Dome interceptors were launched at the drone but missed. An air force fighter jet did not engage because the drone was flying at very low altitude, similar to other drones launched recently by the Houthis in Yemen.
The drone strike
This was the third drone strike on Eilat in less than two weeks. Last week a drone struck near the entrance to the Jacob Hotel without casualties. A week earlier, another drone hit Ramon Airport’s passenger terminal, lightly injuring two workers.
Sirens sounded in Eilat before the impact, but many residents were seen outside filming the drone as it descended. The IDF urged the public to obey Home Front Command instructions: “When the alert sounds, enter a protected space for 10 minutes. These guidelines save lives.”
“The city is packed with tourists. A few meters more and it would have hit a hotel,” one resident said.
Jordanians cheering in Aqaba
Mayor Eli Lankri stressed that despite three drone strikes in less than two weeks, daily life in the city will continue. He called on the IDF to remove the Houthi threat. “The army knows how to do this, and it must be done. The answer is to continue life as normal while ensuring full defensive coverage for residents and visitors — on land, in the sea and in the air,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet commented on the attack. Defense Minister Israel Katz wished the wounded a full recovery and said the Houthis “will learn the hard way. Whoever harms Israel will be harmed sevenfold.”