Just in: Yemen Drone Attacks Israeli Airport

 drone launched from Yemen struck the passenger hall at Ramon Airport near Eilat on Sunday, injuring one person with shrapnel and causing another to experience a panic attack, according to Israeli authorities.

The IDF confirmed the strike and announced that airspace over the airport had been closed, with all takeoffs and landings suspended until further notice.

An IDF spokesman said the Israel Air Force intercepted three drones during the day, two of which were destroyed before entering Israeli territory. “Alerts were activated according to policy,” the spokesman said.

Sirens sounded shortly after 2 p.m. in several communities near the Egyptian border, including Nitzana, Kadesh Barnea, Khemin, and Be’er Milka. The Home Front Command declared the incident over less than 10 minutes later, allowing residents to leave shelters.

Houthi drone shrapnel hits passenger hall in Eilat airport, September 7, 2025 (CREDIT: 27A)

Regional officials expressed frustration over the persistent threat to border communities. Eran Doron, head of the Ramat Negev Regional Council, said drone attacks and smuggling attempts have become “an unacceptable reality.”

“I expect the heads of state to understand that the Nitzana area is threatened on a daily basis, and to work to strengthen the settlement in this region of the country. I thank the security forces for their precise action,” Doron said.

The incident marked a rare strike on Ramon Airport, officially the Ilana and Assaf Ramon International Airport, Israel’s second international gateway after Ben-Gurion Airport. Located north of Eilat in the southern Negev Desert, the facility has remained operational throughout much of the conflict despite repeated threats from Iran-backed groups in Yemen.

The airport, which opened in 2019, replaced Eilat Airport and Ovda Airport for domestic and international flights. Designed to handle around 2 million passengers annually, with future capacity of up to 4 million, it serves domestic flights from Tel Aviv and Haifa, as well as European charter and low-cost airlines.

Since March 18, when Israel resumed its military campaign against Hamas following a temporary ceasefire, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched more than 70 ballistic missiles and more than 23 drones toward Israel. Most of the projectiles were intercepted or failed to reach Israeli territory.

The Houthis, operating from bases along Yemen’s coast, have also targeted or harassed more than 100 vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. These attacks have brought activity at the Port of Eilat to a near standstill.

Approximately 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israeli communities near the Gaza border, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage. Of the 48 hostages still in captivity, about 20 are believed to be alive.