Israel's Ramon Airport near Eilat reopens after being hit by drone from Yemen

Israel's Ramon Airport near the southern city of Eilat resumed operations after being briefly shut on Sunday when a drone launched from Yemen struck the arrivals hall, Israel's Airports Authority said.

Two people were injured by shrapnel, the national ambulance service 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 authority said in a statement.

Takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted for around two hours as the Israeli military said it was investigating the crash of a drone that was launched from Yemen and fell in the area of the airport. The Airports Authority said it was in the arrivals hall.

The Israeli military said in a statement posted on Telegram that the drone was detected by Israeli Air Force systems but was not classified as a hostile drone. Accordingly, the interception and alert systems were not activated.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking Ramon Airport with the drone, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.

Israel's national ambulance service Magen David Adom said a 63-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were injured by shrapnel and were being evacuated to receive medical treatment.

The airport located near the Red Sea resort city of Eilat on the border with Jordan and Egypt, and some 350 km from Tel Aviv, mostly handles domestic flights.

The Houthis have been launching missiles and drones thousands of km north towards Israel, in what the group says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Israel has retaliated by bombing Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.

The direct hit on Israel from Yemen on Sunday, if confirmed by the Houthis, would be the first major attack since Israel killed senior officials of the group in late August.

In May, the Houthis struck near Israel's Ben Gurion, the country's main airport, in an attack that injured eight people.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have also been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.