An unidentified drone hit a civilian building in the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Thursday, causing light damage, Israel's military said, and Yemen's Houthi movement said it fired ballistic missiles toward the Red Sea port city.
The Iran-aligned Houthi movement has launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Israel since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war. Aside from Thursday's drone hit, all were either shot down or fell short.
The military said the identity of the drone that struck the building in Eilat was under review. It did not elaborate. There were no reports of injuries.
Later Thursday, the military said its Arrow air defense system intercepted a missile launched at Israeli territory near the Red Sea, and that its Patriot defense system had intercepted a suspicious target in the southern Negev desert.
The Houthis said they launched a batch of ballistic missiles at various Israeli targets, including what the group's military spokesperson described as military targets in Eilat.
Israel's military did not attribute blame for the missile launch or the target intercepted in the Negev.
The Houthis are part of the Iran regional alliance, which also includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, that has backed Hamas.
The Houthis govern swaths of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, more than 1,000 miles from Israel.
Israel has boosted its naval presence in the Red Sea to better protect its southern shores, while the United States also has a significant amount of naval power in the region.
Eilat is Israel's main commercial gateway through the Red Sea.
Daniel Mueller, an analyst with British maritime security company Ambrey, said Thursday's drone hit "would be the first confirmed damage within the city of Eilat since the October 7 hostilities commenced."
Hamas and the Houthis "have fired multiple rockets, cruise missiles and [drones] towards Eilat," Mueller added.
Israeli waters are considered a high-risk zone by marine insurers, and every ship is required to pay an additional war risk premium, which is typically renewed every seven days.
Such premiums have soared tenfold in recent weeks, adding tens of thousands of dollars to every voyage, industry sources say. And this means higher freight costs.
The southern Mediterranean port of Ashkelon, which is closest to Gaza, has closed in recent weeks with at least one oil tanker diverted to Eilat.
Ambrey has advised clients that merchant shipping can still call at Ashkelon, as shipping is doing in Ashdod, but to adopt ballistic protection measures. These can include hardware, but also procedures such as minimizing crew deck movements.
