TEL AVIV, Israel — A drone launched from Yemen by the Houthi militant group has hit Israel’s southern airport, closing the airspace over southern Israel and halting flights, the Israeli army stated Sunday.
Israel stated the Houthis launched a number of drones, a few of which have been intercepted exterior of Israel. A minimum of one hit the passenger corridor of the Ramon Worldwide Airport close to the southern Israeli metropolis of Eilat, in keeping with the Israel Airports Authority.
In Might, a Houthi missile hit close to Israel’s primary airport, injuring 4 individuals evenly and inflicting many airways to cancel their flights to Israel for months. Israel later struck and destroyed the primary airport within the rebel-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
One particular person was evenly injured on the airport from shrapnel because of the drone, in keeping with Israel’s rescue companies Magen David Adom.
Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media workplace, hailed the assault on social media, calling it “a singular, qualitative army operation.”
“Enemy airports are unsafe, and foreigners should depart them for their very own security,” he wrote. “Different delicate targets are below fireplace.”
Sunday’s assault got here two weeks after an Israeli strike on Sanaa, the rebel-held capital of Yemen, killed the prime minister of the Houthi authorities, together with a lot of his cupboard. Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was probably the most senior Houthi official killed within the Israeli-U.S. marketing campaign towards the Iranian-backed rebels.
Following al-Rahawi’s killing, the rebels vowed to escalate their assaults towards Israel in addition to on vessels navigating by way of an important Pink Sea transport route off Yemen.
Of their current assaults, the rebels launched projectiles every day, in some instances a number of instances per day, and in addition started utilizing cluster munitions within the missile assaults on Israel. Cluster munitions open up with smaller explosives that may be tougher to intercept, elevating the possibilities of getting by way of Israel’s air protection system.
The Ramon Airport opened in 2019 and is situated some 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the resort metropolis of Eilat on Israel’s southern tip. It serves each home and worldwide flights however is way smaller than Israel’s primary airport, Ben Gurion Airport, in central Israel.
Additionally on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push ahead with Israel’s operation in Gaza Metropolis, as negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued to falter.
“Our effort in Gaza on the final strongholds, truly the final necessary stronghold, Gaza Metropolis, is a part of our effort to finish the crushing of the Iranian axis’s chokehold,” Netanyahu stated firstly of the weekly cupboard assembly in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu claimed that greater than 100,000 Palestinians have left Gaza Metropolis prematurely of the operation, although worldwide organizations have countered this determine, as Palestinians questioned the place in Gaza might presumably be protected.
Final week, only a few thousand individuals have been leaving every day, with solely 41,000 individuals having evacuated since mid-August, of the roughly 1 million individuals estimated round Gaza Metropolis, in keeping with the United Nations.
In the meantime, makes an attempt to relaunch negotiations between Israel and Hamas are faltering.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, stated the militant group gained’t lay down its arms till the institution of an unbiased Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. However he stated that Hamas is prepared for a long-term truce and can launch the hostages nonetheless being held in Gaza in alternate for numerous Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and the whole withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Naim stated Hamas continues to be ready for Israel to answer a 60-day ceasefire proposal crafted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators final month.
The Prime Minister’s Workplace refused to touch upon negotiations.
There are 48 hostages nonetheless being held in Gaza, round 20 of which Israel believes are nonetheless nonetheless alive. Militants kidnapped 251 individuals and killed round 1,200 individuals in southern Israel in the course of the assault that sparked the conflict on Oct. 7, 2023.
A minimum of 13 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday morning, together with six kids and three ladies, in keeping with native hospitals. Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza stated that eight individuals have been killed in an Israeli strike on a college the place displaced individuals have been sheltering. The Israeli army stated it was focusing on a militants across the faculty and had warned civilians to evacuate previous to the strike. The army accuses Hamas of hiding weapons and militants inside civilian areas.
5 different individuals have been killed in strikes on tents and condo buildings in central Gaza and Gaza Metropolis, in keeping with native hospitals. Israel’s army didn’t have speedy touch upon the opposite strikes.
The Gaza Well being Ministry stated a complete of 64,368 have been killed and 162,776 have been wounded for the reason that begin of the conflict. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants, however says greater than half of the casualties have been ladies and kids.
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Magdy reported from Cairo.
