Israel vows “sevenfold” retaliation after Houthi drone strikes Israeli hotel

• Israel’s Iron Dome fails again as a Houthi drone strikes an Eilat hotel, wounding 22 during Rosh Hashanah.
• The attack marks the Houthis’ deepest strike yet, exposing critical flaws in Israel’s air defenses against slow, low-flying drones.
• Netanyahu vows a “painful blow” against Yemen, escalating tensions as Hezbollah also unveils longer-range rockets that outmatch Israeli defenses.
• More than 65,000 Palestinians are dead in Gaza as Houthi strikes continue, with no ceasefire in sight and regional war risks rising daily.
• Civilians bear the brunt as Israel’s tech superiority crumbles against asymmetric threats, leaving no clear path to peace.

The cycle of violence in the Middle East took another dangerous turn on Wednesday when a Houthi drone launched from Yemen struck a hotel courtyard in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, wounding at least 22 people, two of them seriously, despite Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome defense system firing two interceptor missiles that failed to stop it.

The attack, which occurred during the final hours of Rosh Hashanah, marks one of the most significant Houthi strikes inside Israel since the group began targeting the country in solidarity with Gaza, where Israel’s military offensive has now killed more than 65,000 Palestinians.

Video footage captured the drone gliding silently over Eilat’s beachfront before crashing into the courtyard, sending shrapnel flying into nearby buildings and pedestrians. The Magen David Adom emergency service reported that a 60-year-old man suffered serious shrapnel wounds to his limbs, while a 26-year-old sustained chest injuries. Most of the other victims experienced moderate to minor wounds from the blast. Bomb disposal teams later cordoned off the area, warning civilians to avoid potential explosive remnants.

Israel’s air defenses fail… again

This isn’t the first time Israel’s Iron Dome has failed to intercept a Houthi drone. Just last week, another drone struck near Eilat, prompting an investigation into why a system that was designed to counter rockets and missiles struggled against low-flying, slow-moving drones. The IDF acknowledged in a statement that “interception attempts were made,” but the drone evaded defenses, raising questions about the system’s effectiveness against emerging threats. The military has yet to explain why the Iron Dome, which relies on radar tracking, couldn’t neutralize a drone flying at an altitude visible in civilian videos.

The Houthis, an Iran-aligned group controlling much of Yemen, quickly claimed responsibility. Yahya Saree, a Houthi spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that the attack was a “qualitative military operation” targeting multiple Israeli sites, including areas near Beersheba. The group has repeatedly vowed to continue strikes until Israel ends its assault on Gaza, a conflict the United Nations has labeled a genocide. The Houthis have also disrupted Red Sea shipping, firing on vessels linked to Israel and its allies, further straining global trade routes.

Netanyahu’s “painful blow” threat fuels fears of wider war

Israeli leaders wasted no time promising retaliation. Defense Minister Israel Katz took to X with a serious warning: “The Houthi terrorists refuse to learn from Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, and will learn the hard way. Whoever harms Israel will be harmed sevenfold.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes, echoed the sentiment, directing the military to prepare a response that would deliver a “painful blow to the Houthi regime.”

The rhetoric suggests Israel may escalate its already aggressive campaign in Yemen, where it has conducted airstrikes on the capital, Sanaa, and assassinated Houthi leaders, including Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi in August. The Houthis have vowed vengeance for those killings, creating a deadly tit-for-tat that shows no signs of abating. With Israel also engaged in clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran-backed militias in Syria, the risk of a regional conflagration grows by the day.

A war with no off-ramp

Since October 2023, when Israel launched its offensive in Gaza, the Houthis have framed their attacks as a direct response to the Palestinian death toll, which now exceeds 65,000, according to Yemeni and Palestinian sources. The group has said it will halt strikes only when a ceasefire is reached in Gaza, which is something Netanyahu’s government has rejected despite mounting international pressure. Instead, Israel has expanded its targeting, bombing Yemeni infrastructure it claims is used for military purposes, including power plants and fuel depots.

The Eilat strike underscores a harsh reality: Israel’s technological superiority, from the Iron Dome to its F-35 fleet, hasn’t shielded it from asymmetric threats. Low-cost drones, missiles, and guerrilla tactics employed by groups like the Houthis and Hezbollah have exposed gaps in Israel’s defenses, forcing it into a reactive cycle of retaliation that only deepens the crisis. Meanwhile, civilians on all sides pay the price, whether in Gaza’s rubble-strewn streets or Eilat’s hotel courtyards.

As the sun set on Rosh Hashanah, a holiday meant to symbolize renewal, the drone attack in Eilat served as a brutal reminder that this war has no clear endpoint. With Israel’s leaders doubling down on threats, the Houthis digging in, and Gaza’s suffering unabated, the region hurtles toward a collision no one seems willing or able to stop. The only certainty? More bloodshed, more failed intercepts, and more families torn apart by a conflict that long ago spun out of control.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

AlJazeera.com

CNN.com