JERUSALEM (Reuters) -An unidentified drone hit a civilian building in the southern Israeli port city of Eilat, the Israeli military said on Thursday, causing only light damage and no injuries.
In recent weeks, the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen has launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Israel, but all were either shot down or fell short.
“The identity of the UAV and the details of the incident are under review,” the military said in a statement, referring to an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The Houthis are part of the Iran-aligned regional alliance, which also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah, that has backed Hamas in its conflict with Israel.
The Houthis govern swathes of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, more than a thousand 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 the Israel’s main commercial gateway through the Red Sea.
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 10-fold 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.
“This 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 UAVs towards Eilat,” said Daniel Mueller, analyst with British maritime security company Ambrey.
“Previous attacks have been intercepted by Israeli, U.S., Saudi and Egyptian forces. There is assessed to be a risk of collateral damage from falling debris. No damage has been reported within the port area.”
Ambrey has advised clients that merchant shipping can still call at the port, as shipping is doing in Ashdod, but to adopt ballistic protection measures. These can include hardware, but also procedures such as minimising crew deck movements.
(Reporting by Emily Rose and Jonathan Saul; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Alex Richardson)
