A drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels evaded Israeli air defenses and smashed into the Ramon Airport terminal in southern Israel on Sunday, the Israeli military said, adding that it was investigating why it had failed to detect the explosive-laden aircraft.
A 63-year-old man was lightly injured by shrapnel from the blast, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service. The man, along with a woman who fell over while running from the scene, was taken to Yoseftal Medical Center in Eilat for treatment. Several other people required treatment for acute anxiety, MDA added.
The unmanned aerial vehicle struck the passenger terminal at the airport north of Eilat, causing damage, according to airport authorities.
Images from the scene showed shattered glass and debris at an area where baggage is screened. A thick pall of black smoke rose over the terminal and people could be seen running for cover.
An initial Israeli Air Force investigation found that the drone aircraft was detected by radar, but it was not classified as a threat by air defense troops.
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As a result, no sirens sounded, no attempts were made to shoot it down, and the drone ultimately struck the airport.
כטב”ם ששוגר מתימן לפני זמן קצר פגע באולם הנוסעים בנמל התעופה רמון בערבה. בצה”ל מתחקרים את האירוע
במקום מספר נפגעים קל pic.twitter.com/3bSMtgGPuk
— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) September 7, 2025
The military said that there was “no indication of technical malfunction in the existing detection systems,” and the failure to shoot down the drone was solely a result of it not being classified as a threat, due to human error.
IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar was set to conduct a more in-depth probe into the drone attack later, the military added.
A similar case happened in July 2024, when a Houthi drone was identified, but not classified as a threat, and struck a building in Tel Aviv, killing a man.
The military said that the Houthis have launched over 150 drones at Israel since the beginning of the war, 98% of which have been intercepted.
Israel briefly closed the airspace over the airport following the attack.
“Takeoffs and landings at Ramon have been halted. The airport authority is working to restore operations as soon as possible,” the Israeli Airport Authority said in an initial statement.
Airport staff work to clean up Ramon Airport near Eilat, after a drone launched from Yemen hit the terminal building, September 7, 2025. (Yehuda Ben Itach/Flash90)
Several hours later, the IAA said Ramon Airport resumed full operations for both takeoffs and landings.
The reopening of the airspace above Ramon Airport followed a “comprehensive situation assessment with the participation of all relevant professional and security bodies,” the authority said. “Following the completion of all safety and security checks, compliance with international civil aviation standards, and receipt of final approval from the Air Force — Ramon Airport has now been reopened for full operations, for both departures and arrivals.”
The IAA said it had “informed the airlines of the airport’s reopening and will continue to closely oversee the resumption of operations, in order to ensure orderly, safe, and continuous functioning of the airport.”
While designated as an international airport, nearly all flights to and from Ramon are domestic. During the war in Gaza, thousands of Palestinians — including patients, wounded individuals, and their family members — have been evacuated from the Strip via Ramon Airport for medical treatment abroad.
Ramon Airport near Eilat, after a drone launched from Yemen struck the terminal building, September 7, 2025. (Yehuda Ben Itach/Flash90)
The attack on Ramon Airport came shortly after the military said the Israeli Air Force shot down three other Houthi drones that had set off warning sirens in several communities on the Egyptian border.
Two of the drones were intercepted before crossing Israel’s borders, and the third was shot down after entering Israeli airspace via Egypt, according to the IDF.
Footage showed an Israeli Air Force helicopter downing one of the drones.
Footage shows the moment one of the Houthi drones was shot down over the Egyptian border by an Israeli Air Force helicopter a short while ago.
In all, three drones were intercepted, including two that did not cross the border, according to the IDF. pic.twitter.com/gTECGMYVov
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 7, 2025
The IDF said the fourth drone that hit Ramon was not different from those shot down previously, and did not represent a new threat.
The drone launches on Sunday came amid a wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks over the past two weeks, following Israel’s assassination of Houthi prime minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi and several members of his cabinet in an attack in Yemen.
Damage caused to the passenger terminal at Ramon Airport in southern Israel following a Houthi drone impact, September 7, 2025. (Social media: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre that sparked the war in Gaza.
The Houthis briefly held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025.
By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one drone that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 80 ballistic missiles and at least 31 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.
In response, Israel has attacked the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away, 16 times.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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