Israel Says Airspace Closed, Flights Stopped As Houthi Drone From Yemen Strikes Airport

A drone fired from Yemen by the Houthi rebel group struck Israel’s Ramon International Airport on Sunday, prompting the closure of airspace over the south and the suspension of flights, the Israeli military confirmed.

According to the Israel Airports Authority, at least one of the drones hit the passenger hall of the airport near Eilat, while others were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. Israel’s rescue service, Magen David Adom, reported that one person sustained light injuries from shrapnel, news agency AP reported.

A purported video of the strike has surfaced on social media.

Initial reports of UAV impact at the Ramon airport in Southern Israel. Airspace over the airport was closed to aircraft movements. pic.twitter.com/LsPXIfNPn6

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) September 7, 2025

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, hailed the strike on social media as “a unique, qualitative military operation.” He warned, “Enemy airports are unsafe, and foreigners must leave them for their own safety. Other sensitive targets are under fire.”

This comes months after a Houthi missile landed near Israel’s main Ben Gurion Airport in May, injuring four and triggering prolonged disruption to international flights. In retaliation, Israel had bombed the main airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

Fallout of Israeli Strikes in Yemen

Sunday’s incident followed an Israeli strike on Sanaa two weeks ago, which killed Ahmed al-Rahawi, the Houthi prime minister, along with several cabinet members. He was the highest-ranking rebel leader killed in the joint Israeli-U.S. campaign against the Iran-backed group.

In response, Houthi rebels vowed to intensify assaults on Israel and on vessels navigating the Red Sea, AP's report stated. Recent attacks have involved multiple projectiles daily, including cluster munitions designed to evade Israeli air defences.

Ramon Airport, opened in 2019, is about 19 kilometres from the Red Sea resort town of Eilat and handles both domestic and limited international flights.

Netanyahu Pledges Gaza City Operation

On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the military would continue its campaign in Gaza City despite faltering truce talks with Hamas.

“Our effort in Gaza on the last strongholds, actually the last important stronghold, Gaza City, is part of our effort to complete the crushing of the Iranian axis’s chokehold,” Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, as quoted by the report.

He asserted that over 100,000 Palestinians had evacuated Gaza City, though United Nations figures place the number closer to 41,000 since mid-August, out of an estimated one million residents in the area.

Gaza Ceasefire Talks Face Deadlock

Efforts to revive negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked. Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas political bureau member, said the group would not lay down arms without the creation of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, as per AP. However, he signalled readiness for a long-term truce, offering to release remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a full Israeli withdrawal.

Hamas awaits Israel’s response to a 60-day ceasefire proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar. Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office declined comment.

Currently, 48 hostages remain in Gaza, with Israel estimating that around 20 are still alive. The war, which erupted after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault that killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw 251 abducted, continues to exact a heavy toll.

Civilian Toll Mounts in Gaza

According to AP, local hospitals reported that 13 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday, including six children and three women. Shifa Hospital said eight died when a school sheltering displaced families was hit. The Israeli army maintained it had targeted militants near the school and had issued warnings beforehand.

Five more deaths were reported from strikes on tents and residential blocks in central Gaza and Gaza City.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the conflict has killed 64,368 people and injured 162,776 since October 2023, with women and children making up more than half of the casualties. The ministry does not separate civilians from combatants in its count.