Israel’s ‘unbreakable’ air shield fails as Houthi drone hits Ramon Airport

The escalation comes as the Houthis expand their tactics, including the use of cluster munitions designed to evade air defences.

Israel’s highly praised multilayered air defence system failed on Sunday when a drone fired from Yemen by Houthi rebels struck Ramon International Airport near Eilat. The blast blew out glass windows, injured a 63-year-old man and briefly shut down commercial airspace.

Flights were diverted and passengers forced into long delays, though service resumed within hours. The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying eight drones had been launched at Israel in retaliation for last week’s Israeli strike in Sana’a that killed the Houthi prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, along with other top leaders.

The attack raised new questions about the reliability of Israel’s defences. The drone was not intercepted and did not trigger sirens, despite Israel downing three other UAVs near the Egyptian border.

Houthis vow more attacks on Israeli airports

Houthi military spokesperson Brig Gen Yahya Saree warned that Israeli airports were now unsafe and would be “continuously targeted”. The group, backed by Iran, has ramped up its campaign since October 2023, framing the strikes as solidarity with Palestinians.

Israel has largely contained these aerial threats, but occasional hits have slipped through. In May, a Houthi missile landed near Ben Gurion Airport, leading to months of international flight cancellations.

The escalation comes as the Houthis expand their tactics, including the use of cluster munitions designed to evade air defences.

Israeli court orders food for Palestinian detainees

Away from the battlefield, Israel’s Supreme Court issued a rare rebuke to the state. In a landmark ruling on Sunday, it ordered authorities to ensure Palestinian detainees are provided with enough food to meet basic sustenance standards.

The decision followed petitions from Israeli human rights groups who alleged prisoners were being starved as part of wartime policy. The court said the state must “guarantee basic living conditions in accordance with the law”.

Thousands of Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank and Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attacks. Rights groups called the ruling a small but important check on Israel’s wartime practices, which have drawn global outrage.

Gaza bombings continue as civilians struggle

Even as courts pushed back, Israel pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive. The military demolished another high-rise in Gaza City, the third in as many days, after ordering evacuations from Al-Ra’iya Tower. Israel claimed the building housed Hamas intelligence operations. Hamas denied the charge, calling it a pretext to target civilians.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that more than 64,000 people have been killed since the war began, though the figures do not separate civilians from combatants. Exhausted Palestinians say they have been displaced multiple times, with humanitarian zones in the south overcrowded and unsanitary.

“Every time we move to a place, we get displaced from it,” said Shireen Al-Lada, who fled her destroyed home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun district.

Trump injects himself into ceasefire talks

Adding to the day’s developments, US President Donald Trump claimed Israel had accepted his ceasefire proposal and urged Hamas to follow suit. “This is my last warning, there will not be another one,” Trump wrote on social media.

Neither Israel nor Hamas confirmed his claim. Israeli officials declined to comment, and Hamas offered no immediate response. Details of Trump’s proposal remain unclear, but he framed it as the only viable path to end the conflict.

The announcement comes as Trump has sought to portray himself as a deal-maker in global crises, even as peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked.