Wednesday, September 24th, is the second day of the two-day Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, celebrating the Jewish New Year. Around 5:30 PM on Wednesday evening, Israeli time (7:30 AM PST / 10:30 AM EST), a Houthi drone exploded in the city center of Eilat, injuring 22 people. The drone explosion started a fire and caused damage to several vehicles and nearby hostel rooms. Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's version of the Red Cross, stated, "We provided medical treatment to 22 injured people, including two in serious condition who suffered severe shrapnel injuries to their limbs and chest. All of the casualties were evacuated by MDA teams to the hospital, and all were conscious."
IDF combat helicopters were used to evacuate three injured people to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, while the remaining wounded were treated at Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat. Soroka Hospital is the closest Level 1 trauma center to the Houthi attack and lies about 120 miles north of Eilat. One of the wounded transported to Soroka Hospital was a 65-year-old man in critical condition. Two other unidentified injured individuals were also transferred to Soroka Hospital in a second IDF helicopter.
The Houthi drone impacted the ground in Eilat's tourist district in front of the shopping center Mall HaYam. The mall is about 500 feet from the large, 700-room Club Hotel. Warning sirens went off in Eilat before the drone impact, but many people ignored the warnings to seek shelter and instead filmed the drone on their cell phones as it exploded in the city center.
🎥RAW FOOTAGE: A UAV launched by the Houthi terror regime hits a hotel in Eilat.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 24, 2025
As families welcomed the Jewish new year, the Houthis targeted Israeli civilians.
This is what terror looks like. pic.twitter.com/j1cHA4Gh64
Eilat is home to about 57,000 residents and lies at the southernmost tip of Israel on the Gulf of Aqaba. Prior to the Houthi attacks, Eilat was unaffected by rocket attacks due to its isolation. Eilat is over 120 miles from Gaza and about 245 miles from Lebanon and Syria. Eilat is between 1,000 and 1,200 miles from the west coast of Houthi-controlled Yemen.
The Houthis acquired long-range rocket and drone technology from Iran and have been attacking Eilat and other parts of Israel since September 15, 2024. The Houthis have launched over 150 drones at Israel since that date, and the IDF has intercepted more than 98 percent of them.
However, this Houthi attack drone flew at a very low altitude similar to that of a cruise missile. As a result, the IDF detected the drone much later than usual. The IDF attempted to shoot down the drone, but two Iron Dome interceptors missed. The Israeli Air Force has a good track record of shooting down drones, but due to the low altitude the drone was flying, IDF aircraft did not engage. Recently, the Houthis have been flying their drones low to the ground to avoid detection. This was the third Houthi drone that evaded the IDF and struck in or near Eilat in less than three weeks.
Two and a half weeks ago, on Sunday, September 7, around 5:00 PM Israeli time, another low-flying Houthi drone exploded in the passenger terminal of Ramon Airport, lightly injuring eight people. Two airport workers, a 63-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman, suffered shrapnel injuries and were transported to the hospital.
The Houthi drone that exploded in Ramon Airport was detected, but the IDF mistakenly did not identify it as a hostile aircraft. Therefore, no sirens or alerts were activated. It was pure luck that there were no deaths in the airport attack. Ramon Airport is Israel's second-busiest airport and is about 12.5 miles north of Eilat's tourist center. The airport resumed normal operations about two hours after the attack.
In response to the attack on Ramon Airport, the IDF bombed three docks in the Hodeidah port in Yemen, which is used by the Houthis to receive weapons from Iran. These attacks are part of the IDF operation "Eyes from Above," which is aimed at maintaining a naval and aerial blockade on Houthi ports to prevent them from being resupplied by Iran.
A week ago, on Thursday, September 18, around 6:30 PM Israeli time, another low-flying Houthi drone exploded at the entrance to the Jacob Hotel, starting a fire. Thankfully, there were no casualties in that attack. The Jacob Hotel is about half a mile north of today's attack.
In addition to the drone attacks detailed above, the Houthis have also been launching ballistic missiles at Israel since September 15, 2024. On the same day that the Houthi drone exploded at the entrance to the Jacob Hotel, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile towards central Israel that was intercepted by the IDF.
A day after the attack on the Jacob Hotel, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on his X account the following message: "Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, your time will come. You will be sent to meet your government delegation and all the envoys of the Axis of Evil who are waiting in the depths of Hell. The slogan 'Death to Israel, curse upon the Jews' written on the Houthi flag will be replaced by the blue-and-white Israeli flag that will fly in the capital of united Yemen." Katz's comment was referring to the IDF's successful attack on Monday, August 28, when the IDF bombed targets in Sanaa, Yemen, killing Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahwi and several ministers.
Author's Note: Many thanks to former RedState columnist Mike Ford for encouraging my early work at the American Free News Network, to everyone in the comments who encouraged me to apply to write for RedState, and to Jennifer Van Laar for bringing me on board. I hope I can live up to your expectations.
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