Iranian-backed Iraqi militia claims drone strike on Israel's Eilat city

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - An Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group Wednesday claimed a drone attack on Eilat city in southern Israel.

In a statement, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it targeted a “vital site” in Eilat with drones without providing any details.

It also vowed “continued operations against (Israeli) enemy positions.”

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that two people were injured, and a fire broke out at Eilat Port in southern Israel after debris from an intercepted drone fell in the Red Sea city.

Channel 12 reported that a Magen David Adom medical team treated two individuals injured by the drone fragments. Their injuries were described as minor.

Israel's Army Radio also confirmed that a fire erupted at Eilat Port after drone fragments fell near the Herods Palace Hotel.

According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, sirens were heard throughout Eilat amid reports that a drone had crashed in the city.

The newspaper Maariv added that Israel's Iron Dome defense system launched a missile to intercept the drone, which was reportedly launched from Iraq.

Regional tensions have escalated amid Israel’s deadly airstrikes on Lebanon since Monday morning, killing nearly 610 people and injuring over 2,000 others, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.

The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.