Jerusalem
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At least 22 individuals have been injured, including two critically, after a drone fired from Yemen hit the city of Eilat in southern Israel on the Red Sea coast on Wednesday, Israeli officers mentioned.
Video and pictures from emergency responders and the Israeli navy seem to indicate the drone touchdown close to shops and eating places. The drone was fired in the course of the last hours of the vacation of Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish new 12 months.
The Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly launched drones and ballistic missiles at Eilat and different areas in southern Israel, however these launches are often intercepted. It’s unclear how Wednesday’s drone penetrated Israel’s air defenses.
“Interception attempts were made, and search and rescue teams are operating in the area where the report was received regarding the impact,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) mentioned in a press release.
Many of those that have been injured in the attack suffered shrapnel from the explosion, in response to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency response service. A 60-year-old man who was critically injured was struck by shrapnel in his limbs, whereas a critically injured 26-year-old man suffered shrapnel wounds to his chest, MDA mentioned. One different particular person suffered average accidents, MDA mentioned.
The IDF mentioned in a separate assertion that its troops “are assisting in evacuating civilians from the area and providing initial medical care.”
“An IDF helicopter was dispatched and is currently assisting in evacuating injured individuals from the scene,” it added.
The Houthi militant group in Yemen has not claimed duty for the attack; nevertheless, the Houthis-run Al Masirah TV has been praising it.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to revenge in opposition to Houthis following the attack on the city. “The Houthi terrorists refuse to learn from Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza – and they will learn the hard way,” Katz mentioned in a press release.
“Whoever harms Israel will be harmed sevenfold,” Katz added.
Earlier in September, a drone launched from Yemen by Houthi rebels hit the arrivals corridor at Ramon Airport in southern Israel on Sunday, the Israeli navy and the Israel Airports Authority mentioned. No sirens have been sounded, the IDF mentioned, because the drone was recognized however not labeled as hostile. An “extensive investigation” was anticipated.
Since Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza started in October 2023, the nation has come below fireplace from missiles and drones from the Houthis in Yemen, who declare to strike Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel has carried out waves of strikes concentrating on Houthi navy services and civilian infrastructure the IDF says is utilized by the Houthis.
But the long-range alternate of fireplace has escalated just lately.
In late August, Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed to take revenge for the killing of their prime minister and different political leaders by Israeli airstrikes earlier that month.
Israel struck the Houthis after the Iran-backed rebels fired a brand new kind of missile at Israel. The Israeli navy mentioned it struck a navy website the place the presidential palace is situated, in addition to two energy vegetation and a gas storage website.
The Houthis confirmed Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a strike on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which additionally left others critically wounded. Al-Rahawi is probably the most senior determine in the Iran-backed Houthis to be killed in Israeli’s marketing campaign in opposition to the group.
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