Flights resume at Israel's Ramon Airport after Houthi drone strike

Jerusalem, Sep 8 (IANS) Flights at Ramon Airport in southern Israel resumed afternoon after operations were briefly suspended when a drone launched by the Houthis group in Yemen struck the arrivals hall, the Israel Airports Authority said.

"After less than two hours of suspended operations, Ramon Airport has resumed full activity," an authority spokesperson said. "Following a situation assessment and safety and security checks, approval was granted to resume takeoffs and landings."

The first departing flight after the incident, operated by Arkia Israeli Airlines, left Ramon for Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said at least two people were lightly injured and evacuated to a hospital in the nearby resort city of Eilat.

Departures and landings were halted for about two hours as the Israeli military said it was probing the drone strike, which it said was launched from Yemen.

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.

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen has been launching long-range missiles and drones targeting Israel, claiming the attacks are acts of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

In response, Israel has carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen, including strategic sites such as the key Red Sea port of Hodeidah.

--IANS

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