“Following the completion of all safety and security checks, compliance with international civil aviation standards, and receipt of final approval from the Air Force – Ramon Airport has now been reopened for full operations, for both departures and arrivals,” the authority said in a statement.

“The first flight from Ramon to Ben Gurion Airport (near Tel Aviv) is expected to depart shortly.”

Takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted for around two hours as the Israeli military said it was investigating the crash of a drone that was launched from Yemen and fell in the area of the airport. The Airports Authority said it was in the arrivals hall.

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.

Israel’s national ambulance service Magen David Adom said a 63-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were injured by shrapnel and were being evacuated to receive medical treatment.

Flights scheduled Sunday

The airport located near the Red Sea resort city of Eilat on the border with Jordan and Egypt, and some 350 km (218 miles) from Tel Aviv, mostly handles domestic flights.

Israeli carriers Israir and Arkia had flights scheduled from the airport on Sunday.

Israir said it was operating in accordance with instructions from the country’s airport authorities, and passengers will be updated accordingly. Arkia, which also operates domestic flights between Tel Aviv and Eilat, said passengers and flight crew who were at the airport were safe and unharmed. After inspections, it was determined that no damage was caused to its aircraft, and that it would restart flights once Ramon resumes normal operations, it added.

The Iran-backed Houthis have been launching missiles and drones thousands of kilometres north towards Israel, in what the group says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Israel has retaliated by bombing Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.

The direct hit on Israel from Yemen on Sunday, if confirmed by the Houthis, would be the first major attack since Israel killed senior officials of the group in late August.

In May, the Houthis struck near Israel’s Ben Gurion, the country’s main airport, in an attack that injured eight people.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have also been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.