Yemen’s Houthis claim Tel Aviv drone attack that left 1 dead
- The early Friday attack left one person dead, injured four and set off a new shock for Israel more than nine months into its war in Gaza
The Israeli military said an initial investigation showed the blast was caused by “the falling of an aerial target” that did not set off alarms. It said air patrols had been stepped up.
The Houthis, who have carried out dozens of attacks against Red Sea shipping to show support for Palestinians during the Gaza war, said their “UAV force” attacked “one of the important targets in the occupied Jaffa region, what is now called Israeli Tel Aviv”.
The rebels last Saturday had said they would “not hesitate to expand its military operations … until the aggression stops”.
If an attack is confirmed, it would be the first to cause casualties in Tel Aviv since a rocket strike launched from Gaza wounded one person on May 26. Hundreds of rockets were fired at Tel Aviv in the October 7 attacks that set off the war, but most were intercepted.
Israeli police said they received hundreds of reports around 3am (0000 GMT) of a “strong explosion”.