Houthis Target Tel Aviv, Eilat and Beersheba with Missile and Three Drones

On Thursday, a drone launched from Yemen exploded near the entrance of a hotel in Eilat, with no casualties reported.

That same day, the Houthi movement claimed it had “successfully” struck targets in three Israeli cities using a hypersonic ballistic missile and three drones. The attack, the group said, was a response to “Tel Aviv’s war against Palestinians in Gaza and its aggression against Yemen,” despite recent heavy strikes suffered by the Houthis and Israeli threats of further assaults.

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Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, declared in a statement that “the missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces” had carried out “qualitative operations” against Israel, stating that a “sensitive military target of the Israeli enemy in the Jaffa (Tel Aviv) area” had been hit with a hypersonic Palestine 2 missile, “successfully achieving its objective.”

He added that the attack had triggered “millions of settlers fleeing to shelters and the closure of airspace in occupied Palestine.” He further stated that three drones had targeted Eilat and Beersheba in southern Israel, “successfully” hitting their objectives as well.

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Saree warned that “the Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) region will remain under constant threat from the Yemeni Armed Forces,” stressing that “facts and developments prove that this criminal enemy poses a danger to the entire region, not only within occupied Palestine, which requires collective responsibility.”

On Thursday evening, a drone fired from Yemen exploded near the entrance of a hotel in Eilat without casualties, according to Israeli media. Two hours later, air raid sirens sounded across central Israel, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, following the launch of a missile from Yemen, the Israeli army reported.

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The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Israel with drones and missiles, as well as targeting ships linked to or heading toward Israel, claiming their operations are in retaliation for Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Israel launched 12 airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port after issuing an evacuation order for the facility. Last week, an Israeli strike on the capital Sanaa killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 100 others, targeting camps and facilities belonging to the Houthi-run Ministry of Defense. Earlier, the Houthis’ unrecognized Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahwi and several of his ministers were killed in another Israeli strike.

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Despite strong rhetoric about continuing their support for Gaza and strengthening their military capabilities, questions remain over how long the Houthis can withstand such losses while facing numerous internal and external challenges.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with U.S. backing, has waged war in Gaza, leaving, according to cited figures, 65,141 Palestinians dead and 165,925 wounded, most of them women and children. Starvation has also claimed the lives of 435 people, including 147 children.

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