A drone launched from Yemen by the Houthi militant group hit an Israeli airport on Sunday, closing the airspace and halting flights, the Israeli military said.
Following the attempt, Israel temporarily suspended flight operations at the Ramon International Airport.
Dramatic visuals shared on X show thick black plumes of smoke rising into the sky near Ramon Airport shortly after the suspected drone strike. After the reported attack, security forces promptly responded, and investigations are underway.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military had shot down three drones coming from Yemen, raising concerns of a coordinated escalation by the Houthis. However, at least one drone reportedly evaded defence systems.
“A short while ago, the IAF (Israeli air force) intercepted three UAVs that made their way from Yemen,” the military said in a statement, adding two were downed before entering Israeli airspace. It did not specify what happened to the third.
Sunday’s attack comes months after a Houthi missile hit near Israel’s main airport, lightly injuring four people and causing many airlines to cancel their flights to Israel for months.
Israel later struck and destroyed the main airport in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
Houthis vow to avenge their leader
Israel assassinated Yemen Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawial, along with 11 other senior officials, in air strikes two weeks ago.
After his killing, the Houthi rebels vowed to escalate their attacks against Israel as well as on vessels navigating through a crucial Red Sea shipping route off Yemen.
In their recent attacks, the rebels have been using cluster munitions in missile attacks on Israel
Cluster munitions open up with smaller explosives that can be harder to intercept, raising the chances of strikes as Israel prepares for a new ground offensive in its war on Hamas that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
www.hindustantimes.com
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