The army clarified in a statement that the drone crashed in the Eilat area after failed attempts to intercept it using the ” ” system. It added that search and rescue teams are operating on site, while the Air Force has dispatched helicopters to transport the injured, including serious cases, to a hospital in central Israel. Meanwhile, the Israeli police confirmed that the incident caused material damage and injuries.
The newspaper “Israel Hayom” revealed that the military is investigating how the drone managed to breach air defense systems and explode in a crowded area despite the launch of two interceptor missiles. Sirens had sounded in Eilat before the incident, following the detection of the incoming aircraft.
“Ansar Allah” has intensified its attacks on Israel since the group announced, at the end of August, the killing of its Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahwi and 8 of its ministers, along with injuries to others, after an Israeli airstrike targeted their meeting in Sanaa. On July 28th, “Ansar Allah” declared an escalation of its attacks on Israel and the commencement of the fourth phase of the “maritime blockade on Israel,” threatening to target ships of any company dealing with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality and wherever the group’s forces can reach, in response to the ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Since Tel Aviv resumed its military operations in the sector on March 18th, “Ansar Allah” in Yemen has intensified its attacks on Israel and ships linked to it, as well as the United States and Britain. This led the U.S. forces to carry out hundreds of airstrikes on the group’s locations in Yemen, before the group and Washington reached an agreement on May 6th to cease fire between them. However, “Ansar Allah” confirmed that the agreement does not include operations against Israel.
Since September 2014, the “Ansar Allah” group has controlled the majority of provinces in central and northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. Meanwhile, an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched military operations on March 26th, 2015, in support of the Yemeni army to reclaim these areas from the group.
