The Houthi group in Yemen announced this evening (Thursday) the launch of a batch of ballistic missiles at “various and sensitive targets” in southern Israel, including “military” targets in Eilat, while the Israeli army confirmed the interception of a missile launched from Yemen towards the coastal city.

The spokesman for the Houthi military forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said in a statement broadcast on Al-Masirah TV, the group’s spokesman, that these forces “launched a batch of ballistic missiles at various sensitive targets for the Israeli entity south of the occupied territories, including military targets in Eilat.”

He stressed that the operation "successfully achieved its objectives and led to direct hits on the specified targets, despite the enemy's silence about it."

The spokesman renewed his threat that the Houthi forces would continue to carry out their military operations “in support of the oppression of the Palestinian people and until the Israeli aggression against our brothers in Gaza stops,” as he put it.

This is not the first time that the Houthis have announced the launch of ballistic missiles and drones at targets in Israel, as the group announced last October and this November the launch of batches of ballistic missiles and drones more than once at various targets in Israel.
The Houthis have controlled the capital, Sanaa, and most of the northern Yemeni governorates, including the coastal governorate of Hodeidah on the Red Sea in the west of the country, for more than nine years.

On the other hand, the Israeli army announced today the interception of a missile launched from Yemen towards the city of Eilat.

The army said in a statement, "Following up on reports of activating warnings in the Eilat area, talk of a missile being launched from Yemen towards Israel was successfully intercepted by air defenses via the Arrow-Hetz system to intercept long-range missiles."

The statement confirmed that the missile did not penetrate Israeli airspace.

Before that, Israeli sources reported that a drone had fallen into a school in the city of Eilat, causing an explosion.

The military spokesman for the Israeli army said in a statement, “A short while ago, a drone struck a civilian building in the city of Eilat,” noting that “the diagnosis of the drone and the details of the incident are still under investigation.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Channel 14 reported that an explosion was caused by a drone falling over a school in the city of Eilat.

The channel added that investigations are still ongoing into the source of the march, its affiliation, and whether it belongs to the Israeli army or to hostile parties.

The explosion did not result in any physical injuries, while seven people suffered panic, according to the Israeli ambulance authority.

The Israeli police spoke of a "security event" in the city of Eilat, without indicating its nature.

The Eilat municipality announced in a statement that there were 43 students in the school when the explosion occurred, and none of them were harmed.