Three drones launched by the Houthis in Yemen were shot down by the Israeli Air Force over southern Israel within half an hour Monday, the military said.
There were no reports of injuries or damage from the attacks, which followed the launch of four drones the day before, one of which exploded in the Ramon International Airport.
Monday saw another drone intercepted near the airport, the military said, setting off sirens. Several interceptor missiles were launched over the Eilat area — just south of the airport — to shoot down the drone.
Another drone set off sirens in the southern city of Dimona and the nearby area. It too was shot down.
A third drone was shot down that did not set off any sirens, “according to protocol,” meaning it was downed before it could threaten any targets on the ground.
On Sunday, a drone launched by the Houthis evaded Israeli air defenses and smashed into the Ramon Airport’s passenger terminal, causing damage.
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.
An initial Israeli Air Force investigation found that the drone was detected by radar, but was wrongly not classified as a threat by air defense troops.
As a result, no sirens sounded, no attempts were made to shoot it down, and the drone ultimately struck the airport.
Sunday saw the military shoot down three other Houthi drones that set off warning sirens in several communities on the Egyptian border.
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 the airport for medical treatment abroad.
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.
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 have launched 80 ballistic missiles and at least 31 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.
In response, Israel has repeatedly attacked the Houthis in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.