Over 20 people were wounded on Wednesday evening after a drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen exploded in Eilat, days after another smashed into a hotel in the Red Sea resort city.
Medics reported that among the injured were two men, ages 60 and 26, listed in serious condition, along with a 30-year-old who was moderately hurt and 19 others with light wounds.
Most of the wounded were hit by shrapnel, with the Israeli Air Force dispatching two helicopters to evacuate those more severely hurt to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. Most of the injured were treated at Eilat’s Yoseftal Medical Center, the country’s smallest general hospital.
Footage from the attack showed the drone impact near a hotel in a shopping area.
The military acknowledged that attempts to intercept the drone had failed, with two Iron Dome interceptor missiles fired at the unmanned aircraft, while noting that sirens had sounded a warning of an attack “according to protocol.”
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The Israeli Air Force launched an investigation into the failure.
According to an initial probe by the IAF, the drone was detected late, though sirens were still activated to warn civilians. The failure of the Iron Dome to shoot down the drone was possibly because it was flying low, although this was still under investigation. Because of the late detection, the IAF did not have enough time to dispatch helicopters or fighter jets to shoot it down.
Footage posted to social media shows the moment a Houthi drone from Yemen hit Eilat in southern Israel, September 25, 2025. (Social media; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
“The Houthi terrorists refuse to learn from Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, and will learn the hard way,” Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X after the attack. “Whoever harms Israel will be harmed sevenfold.”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have frequently carried out attacks targeting Eilat, including the incident last week in which a drone struck a hotel entrance, causing damage but no injuries.
A Houthi attack earlier this month also hit Ramon Airport outside the city, causing damage and lightly wounding one person.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched nearly 90 ballistic missiles and at least 40 drones at Israel.
The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes, most recently last week, against military infrastructure at the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida in western Yemen, in response to the Iran-backed group’s repeated attacks on Israel.
Last month, an Israeli strike on Sanaa killed the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi government and several other ministers, with Israel warning that the attack on the group’s upper echelons was “just the beginning.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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