Preliminary
Early in the morning of September 24, the holiday town of Eilat on the southern coast of the Red Sea in Israel was still immersed in silence, with palm trees shaking in the wind, and tourists have not yet started the day's tour, The sudden air raid alarm tore the tranquility.
In the panicking footsteps of local residents, two drones from Yemen's Houthi armed forces quietly broke through the defence and crashed toward the intended target. A violent explosion sounded immediately, and billowing smoke quickly rose over the building, and the originally bustling neighborhood instantly fell into chaos.
Rescue work begins.
The Israeli Defense Army’s reaction started almost at the same time as the alarm sounded, with ground forces and police rushing to the scene, and helicopters emergency flying to evacuate the wounded, but everything was unable to compensate for the losses.
When the medical personnel of the Red David Shield Emergency Medical Service Center arrived, the scene was already a wreckage, scattered building debris intertwined with blood, and the murmuring of the wounded people.
In the end, 20 injured people were taken to Joseph Tar Hospital, two of whom were seriously injured in limbs, making it one of the most serious attacks launched by the Houthi armed forces.
This is not the first recent attack on Eilat. Last week, a drone hit the hotel area of the town, but no casualties were caused at that time. This attack completely broke the short-term calm in the area.
Just as the rescue work in Eilat was still going on, sirens sounded again in the suburbs of Tel Aviv early the next morning. Local residents had not yet recovered from the panic of the attack on Ben Gurion Airport last week, and a new round of attacks had arrived.
The Houthi armed forces launched a larger offensive, with 12 drones and five ballistic missiles headed directly to the residential area and a military warehouse.
Israel's proud "Iron Dome" air defense system failed to play the expected role, only succeeded in intercepting five drones and one missile, the rest of the attacks all targeted.
Ammunition in the military warehouse was detonated, a huge shock wave overturned surrounding vehicles, and billowing black smoke rose tens of meters into the sky. The sirens of fire trucks, the screams of the wounded and the cries of residents mixed together, becoming a chaotic situation in Israel. The true epitome of the situation.
The emergency room of the hospital was quickly packed, and family members waiting anxiously could be seen everywhere in the corridor. Medical staff in blood-stained white coats rushed back and forth without stopping for a moment.
In an interview, a nurse choked and said that she couldn't handle the steady stream of wounded people at all, and the cries of children almost deafened her ears.
Officials subsequently the death toll to 32 and 117 injured, but civil rescue organizations have revealed that actual casualties could be much higher because people trapped in some of the ruins have not been rescued.
Following the two attacks, panic continued to spread in Israel, and protests have occurred in Tel Aviv and other places, demanding that the government take effective measures to ensure security.
The "air defense myth" is shattered
This attack completely debunked the Israeli military's "air defense myth" for many years.
Israel has previously claimed that the Iron Dome system is the “most reliable airbarrier in the Middle East”, with an interception rate stable at more than 90 percent, which has indeed been the case when it hit 420 rockets in 2014.
But in recent years, with the improvement of the arms technology of the Armed Organization of the Middle East, the disadvantages of the Iron Dome have gradually been exposed.
The system was originally designed for intercepting short-range, slow-speed ground-made rockets, its equipped "Tamil" interceptor bombs with a maximum speed of only 2.2 Mach, combat equipment only 11 kg, in the face of the Houthi armed with the new transformation technology of missiles and high-speed rocket bombs, it is difficult to effectively intercept.
Even more worrying is that the U.S. military deployed in the Red Sea "Shad" system this time has not been able to provide effective support, there are U.S. military officials privately revealed that the Hussein armed missile trajectory technology has made the radar monitoring time has not reacted.
The frequent attacks also led to a severe shortage of Israeli air defense ammunition reserves.
Starting from the "Al-Aqsa Flood" raid in October 2023, armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon have launched many large-scale attacks. The multi-layered air defense system composed of "Iron Dome","David's Stoning" and "Arrow- 3" continues to operate at high intensity, and ammunition consumption far exceeds the replenishment speed.
The previous 180 missiles launched by Iran almost exhausted Israel's air defense system. The attack by the Houthi armed forces made the ammunition inventory even worse. Israel has urgently asked the United States for help, but the United States' own "THAAD" system inventory is also limited, and it is difficult to fill the gap in the short term.
Britain partially suspended arms sales to Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to the arms supply, and increased Israeli ammunition supplies.
After the attack, the Israeli government responded quickly and tough.
On September 25th, Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly declared war on the Houthi armed government in Yemen, 2,000 kilometers away, when talking with Eilat Mayor Eli Nekri, and made it clear that he would suffer a "heavy blow".
Defense Minister Katz also made a public statement that night, saying that the Houthi armed forces "refused to learn from the lessons of Iran, Lebanon and Gaza, and will receive a seven-fold counterattack against those who harm Israel."
This decision to declare war is not accidental. The Houthi armed forces have repeatedly attacked the port of Eilat and southern border towns before, but this time they directly attacked the hinterland of Israel and caused heavy casualties, which was regarded as a blatant provocation by Israel.
The struggle, however, is becoming increasingly difficult.
The Israeli military has begun adjusting its deployments to increase its force in response to a possible comprehensive conflict.
It is reported that after two weeks of rest, equipment replenishment and tactical adjustments, the 36th Division, which had previously fought in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, has been transferred to the Gaza City battlefield, forming three heavy deployments with the 98th Division and 162nd Division originally deployed here. This is the largest ground force invested by the Israeli army in a single area since the outbreak of the conflict.
In response to ground forces advances, Israel has launched dozens of airstrikes on Gaza City and its surroundings, targeting arsenals, alleged command points and buildings that could hinder advancement, with 20 high-rise buildings demolished over the past two weeks on grounds of being used as observation posts or fire points.
The Navy has also entered a state of combat readiness, closely monitoring maritime movements, forming a three-dimensional combat model of air strikes, ground propulsion, and maritime alert.
The international community is highly concerned about the escalation of the situation.
A previous report released by the United Nations Human Rights Council showed that more than 65,000 civilians have died in the Gaza Strip, more than half of whom are women and children.
Twelve of the 14 major hospitals ceased to operate due to bombing and material shortages, the remaining two bands, antibiotics and other supplies are about to be exhausted, food reserves can only beined for less than a week, and children in the refugee camps have already fainted due to malnutrition.
Netanyahu’s tough speech at the UN conference has sparked widespread controversy, having previously said he would take countermeasures against the 157 countries that have recognized Palestine, a statement strongly supported by former U.S. President Donald Trump but also opposed by numerous countries.
conclusion
At present, the confrontation between Israel and the Houthi armed forces continues.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sareya has publicly claimed responsibility for the Eilat attack, emphasizing that it was a "successful" operation and implying that more attacks could not be ruled out.
Israel, on the other hand, continues to advance military operations in Gaza City, where ground forces and armed groups interfere.
With the continuous escalation of the deployment of both sides, the scope of influence of this conflict is gradually expanding, the prospects for peace in the Middle East are becoming more variable, and the international community's call for ceasefire negotiations is becoming increasingly urgent.