The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that a drone launched from Yemen was intercepted over the Red Sea, near Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.
The drone did not enter Israeli airspace, the military said.
Earlier on Thursday, another drone heading to Israel from the east was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force over southern Israel, the military said.
There were no injuries in that incident either, and sirens did not sound in any towns. The IDF said alerts were activated in relevant areas “according to protocol.”
The IDF has described past attacks from Yemen and Iraq as being launched “from the east.”
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Separately, the IDF said suspected drone infiltration sirens in southern Israel earlier in the morning were apparently false alarms.
According to the military, the alerts were activated based on the projected path of a suspected drone. However, the military added that it may have been a “false identification” — meaning, not a threat.
A building in Yavne that was hit by a drone on December 9, 2024. (Fire and Rescue Service)
In recent days, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have fired a number of drones at Israel, one of which hit an apartment building in Yavne after the IDF failed to recognize it as a threat. The drone caused damage to property but no injuries.
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The Houthis, part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and the United States, have fired hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war, one of which killed a man in Tel Aviv.
That ongoing conflict began on October 7, 2023, when the Hamas terror group led a massive cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
Israel has twice bombed Houthi targets in retaliation for their attacks.
The scene where a drone fired from Yemen hit a building in Yavne, December 9, 2024. (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)
The Houthis have also waged a harassment campaign against shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, severely disrupting the vital trade route.
They have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started last October, including seizing one vessel and sinking two in a campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US, or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against the Hamas terror group in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have had little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.